Empath
by Kasamyra
Summary: "History is written by the winners. Anything you read about wizards is tilted to make them look like the good guys. Whole families were tortured and killed. Even the children who showed no abilities yet were taken. It became a game. Maybe a handful of people survived, and they hid. They taught their children to be private, never showing their abilities to anyone, not even family."
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Prologue

"Mummy?" A young girl called, running into the living room where her parents sat. She came to a halt as she saw both of her parents sitting on the floor with their eyes closed.

"Yes, Alessa?" The girls mother asked, not moving from her position.

"What are you doing?" Alessa asked, tilting her head to the side, forgetting her original question.

"Meditating, sweetheart," her mother said, breathing slowly.

"But, why?" Alessa asked, sitting on the floor with her legs tucked under her.

"To think," her mother said, finally opening her eyes to watch the younger girl. "Would you like to try?"

"No," Alessa said, shaking her head. "It looks boring."

Her mother chuckled quietly, moving around so she was facing the little girl.

"Did you come in here for something? I thought you were playing at the neighbors house until dinner time," she said.

"I was," Alessa scowled, remembering why she had run the quarter mile home from the nearest house where her sometimes friend Alice lived. "But then Alice pulled my hair and ruined my braid, see?" she said, lifting up the loose strands of hair that fell beside her face.

"Come sit on the chair and I'll fix it for you," her mother said, standing and stretching for a moment before leading the girl from the room. Alessa took a glance back at her father who was still sitting on the floor with his eyes closed breathing slowly, then she turned, running out of the room to find her mother.

"Now, why did Alice pull your hair?" Her mother asked as she pulled the hair tie from the end of the braid and ran her fingers through the long, dark stands.

"Because she's mean," Alessa said, pouting and crossing her arms.

"People who do mean things are usually mean for a reason," her mother said, starting the braid again. "Did you do something mean first?"

"Well," Alessa started, looking down at her hands in as much shame as her five year old mind could feel. "I told her that she was ugly."

"Alessa, thats really mean. Don't you think you might have hurt her feelings?" Her mother asked, tying off the end of the braid and walking around to stand in front of her young daughter.

"She told me that I must be bad because my hair is brown. She said only bad people have dark hair, and she said she was allowed to tell me what to do because her hair is yellow," Alessa said, half pouting, half sad.

"Well, you know that isn't true," the woman said, smiling down at the girl. "Hair color doesn't make you bad, but being mean to your friends does, Alessa."

"So I am bad?" Alessa asked, looking up with watery eyes.

"No, but you did a bad thing. You should go tell her you are sorry," she said, smoothing her hand over the girls forehead. "It's not nice to make people feel bad, Alessa, even if they made you feel bad first. When you make other people feel bad, you make yourself feel bad too. Now go on," she said, pushing the girl towards the door.

"Sorry mamma. I'll go tell her I'm sorry for being mean," Alessa said, running out the door.

* * *

"Mummy, are you going to medit again?" Alessa asked, watching her mother and father getting comfortable on the floor in the living room.

"It's called meditating, Alessa," her father corrected, smiling. "And yes, we are."

"You should join us, Alessa. Seven is plenty old enough to learn," her mother said, crossing her long legs, and resting her hands on her knees to look up at Alessa.

"What does it do?" Alessa asked, sitting next to her mother with her legs tucked under her.

"It helps you clean up your mind. Here," her mother said, moving Alessa's legs out from under her. "Sit with your legs crossed in front of you, like this, and keep your back straight. Then rest your hands on your knees and close your eyes."

Alessa did as she was told, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Now what?" She asked, peeking from one eye to see her mother, who had both eyes closed..

"Now you breathe slowly, copy me," she said, taking a deep breath then letting it go, just as slowly. "While you breath, try to clear your thoughts, don't think about anything at all."

"Okay," Alessa said, closing her eyes and copying her mother's breathing.

Alessa fidgeted for a moment before falling still. She tried not to think about how she was starting to get a little hungry. She ignored the itch on the back of her leg and the tickle on her neck from a piece of hair that had fallen out of her usually tight braid. She made her self ignore the loud thumping of her heart, still racing from her run across the yard a bit ago, and she didn't listen to the whoosh of air going in and out of her lungs.

"Now concentrate on my voice and come find me, Alessa," she heard her mother say a few minutes later, but the sound came from inside her mind, not next to her where she knew her mother was sitting. Alessa kept trying to think of nothing, but it was difficult to concentrate as her stomach gurgled and a dog barked somewhere in the distance.

"Ignore everything else, just come towards me. Think about what I look like and remember who I am to you," her mother said, her voice much closer this time. Suddenly an image began to build behind Alessa's eyelids as she thought about her mother, picturing her mouth and her eyes and her favorite clip that she always wore in her hair. Then suddenly, there she was, standing right in front of Alessa.

Alessa took a step toward her mother, who had both arms held out.

"Very good, Alessa," she said, hugging the short girl. "Now, look around you."

Alessa turned, taking in the smokey shapes around her.

"Where are we? How did we leave the house? I don't remember," Alessa said, turning on her heel to face her mother again.

"We didn't leave the house, we are still there, physically," her mother said calmly, watching Alessa look around again. "Now we are inside your mind. These are all things that you remember or think about. Your memories are here, and everything you have ever learned, and your emotions. Since you are so young, you don't have a lot of mess up here, which is good."

"This is my mind? So how are you here?" Alessa asked. "Did I imagine you?"

"No, but we will get to that later," her mother said. "For now, let me show you how to organize your mind."

"Like cleaning my room?" Alessa asked, sighing sadly.

"Yes," her mother laughed in her familiar deep chuckle that always calmed Alessa. "But this is more important. If you organize your mind and your thoughts, you will be able to remember things easier, and when you eventually go to school, you will learn faster, since you will always know just where to find the information you need, in here."

"So when I read, I will remember more?" Alessa asked excitedly, cleaning suddenly seeming like a much better prospect. "I like reading."

"I know you do. Up here, you can create anything you want to, all you have to do is think about it," she said, waving her hand around her again. "I suggest making your mind into a building, something that can be protected from other people so they can't get in unless you want them to."

"So like a house?" Alessa asked, thinking about their home with it's many unused rooms and long thin hallways, and she watched as the familiar wooden walls began to appear around them.

"You can use the house if you want to. I use a wide hallway myself, and I have everything stored into rooms and drawers so I can find them when I need them," she said, smiling down at her daughter.

"A hall?" Alessa repeated, imagining the hallway outside her bedroom, but bigger. The walls around her pushed out, creating a wide open space, lined with doors, just like the second story of the house, but stretched out.

"Yes, like this," her mother said, then began to walk around. "Now, you pick up these things and sort them into the rooms. You can put all the memories together, all the emotions together, all your dreams, your fears, your thoughts, all the information your collect over the years, you can organize them all. It will take some time, but if you practice often, you will get the hang of it."

"And then you will teach me how to go to other people's minds?" Alessa asked excitedly.

"I will teach you everything I know how to do, but you must promise never to tell anyone else, not ever," she said, looking at her daughter with serious eyes.

"Like a secret," Alessa said, nodding solemnly.

"Exactly like a secret," she said, smiling. "Now, I think this is enough for today, we can try more tomorrow."

"Okay," Alessa said, taking her mothers hand. "How do we go back home?"

"You just open your eyes," she said, smiling. "As if you are waking up."

"Okay," Alessa said, squeezing her eyes shut, then opening them again to see the bright lights of the living room and her mother next to her.

* * *

"Mum! Dad! Guess what!" Alessa shouted as she ran in the front door of their house. She was holding a slightly yellowed paper in her hand, waving it around frantically. She skidded to a stop in front of her mother who had been sitting on the living room couch reading a book as her husband sat glancing over a newspaper in a nearby arm chair.

"Look! I got my acceptance letter from Hogwarts!" She said excitedly, thrusting the papers she was holding under her mothers nose. "Does this mean we can go shopping? Please? I can't wait to read my class books! Oh! And I get a wand! A real wand! And I've been saving up for my own owl! Can we go today?" She begged them, finally stopping for a breath as she waited for them to answer.

Alessa's mother closed her book, and glanced meaningfully at her husband, who folded up the newspaper and set it aside.

"We can go to Diagon Alley tomorrow morning. But first, we need to have a talk. Sit please," her mother said, patting the couch next to her.

Realizing how serious her parents looked, Alessa sat immediately.

"Alessa, do you remember a few years ago when we first taught you how to meditate?" Her father asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"And I said I would teach you how to visit other people's minds?" Her mother added.

Alessa nodded. That day had stuck in her memory only because her mother had taken her out for ice cream afterwords, which she only did when something important happened, and even at a young age Alessa had understood the seriousness in her mothers voice when she had said never to tell anyone else about what she learned.

"Well, we think you are old enough to understand everything now. And we think it's important that you know before you leave for school, especially as it might affect you soon. Now, what do you know of 'Empaths'?"

"Empaths?" she repeated, frowning a little at the unknown word. "I've never heard of that."

"Empaths are people with the ability to sense emotions and feelings, and sometimes even thoughts, of the people near them," her mother said.

"You mean they can read minds?" Alessa asked, eyes wide.

"Well, not quite. More like they can feel the emotions of other people and can usually guess the thoughts behind the feeling. Well, not guess, more like know without making an effort to know. Like a sixth sense. Intuition, you could say," her father explained, rubbing the back of his neck. He had never been very good at explaining complicated things.

"So, they can feel your emotions and then sort of just know why you feel that way?" Alessa asked, to clarify. Her mother nodded.

"It's a little more complicated than that, but yes, that is basically what we mean. Now, meditating and organizing your mind doesn't only help you remember things easier. It's also an important stepping stone in learning how to make your consciousness leave your body, like visiting someone else's mind. Not everyone can do that, only empaths can," her mother said softly.

"But, you can do that. Are you an empath?" Alessa asked, glancing from her mother to her father.

"Yes, I am. And so is your father. That's why we are telling you this. We don't know for sure if you will be an empath yet, but the empathetic abilities are passed on through genes. If you are an empath, most of your abilities won't start developing until you get a little older."

"Okay," Alessa said, leaning back into the couch. "So basically, in a few years I will feel everyone else's emotions?"

"Not exactly," her father said. "You might never develop any abilities, and if you do, we don't know how strong they will be. Not everyone who gets the empath gene can sense emotions, some are only a little more sympathetic toward others. Some can only feel very strong emotions, like when someone is angry or very happy."

"And usually, if you are an empath, you will start showing abilities in a few years. It starts with emotions. You might not even notice it starting, you will just find yourself knowing when other people are happy, or upset, even if they don't outwardly show it. Then you will start feeling the subtler emotions, like annoyance, or impatience, or love. Depending on how strong your abilities are, you will start understanding why people are feeling how they are. I can do that a little bit, but your father can only sense the emotions, not the reasons. It just depends on how strong your gift is, and we won't know that until you get a little older and you figure it out on your own," her mother said, running her hands over her jeans as she talked.

"Oh," Alessa said, thinking through everything she had just been told.

"I know it's a lot to take in sweetie," her mother said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in for a hug.

"So, why can't I tell other people about all this? When I was little you made it sound like really bad things would happen if anyone ever found out about the meditating," Alessa said.

"The meditating isn't the bad part, lots of people do that, even muggles. But if anyone found out about the other things, it would be bad. You can't ever tell anyone, it's dangerous to be an empath," her dad said, frowning. "Empaths used to be thought of as evil people who could control the minds and emotions of other people to get what they want, and they were hunted for centuries. I think the only reason we aren't hunted anymore is because everyone thinks empaths died out hundreds of years ago."

"We were hunted?" Alessa asked, eyes wide again, this time in surprise. "Because some of us were evil?"

"We were never evil," her mother said, shaking her head sadly. "In old books about us, it was said that if an empath was captured and the right spells performed, the capturer could kill the empath and absorb the power to control emotions from them. The stories about evil empaths come from that. Wizards hunted us down and stole our powers to become evil, and it resulted in a lot of messy deaths. I don't want anyone who might remember what empaths are to think about trying that. It's been decades since empaths were hunted, but the danger is always there."

"Are there any modern books that have information about empaths?" Alessa asked, wanting to learn all she could about what she might one day be able to do.

"I don't think so honey, but we can look tomorrow when we get your school things," her mother said, leaning back in the couch.

"Alessa," her father said as she stood to go up to her room. She turned back to listen. "Don't ever tell anyone. Even if you think you can trust them, don't ever tell."

"Alright dad. I won't. I promise."

* * *

_'Dear mum and dad,' Alessa wrote, sitting at a table in her new common room the second week of school._

_'I got sorted into Ravenclaw! The common room in our tower is so amazing. There are bookshelves covering every wall and there are so many books! And the library is huge! I've found a lot of old books that mention stories of empaths and sirens and veela, so I've been learning a lot about them._

_The first week of classes was a little difficult, but only because I still haven't learned my way around the castle, but this week has been better. I only got lost once. The classes themselves aren't difficult, everything we are learning is right out of the books. I think my favorite class so far is Charms, or maybe Transfiguration._

_I've decided to name my owl Apollo. I think he likes it, it's the only name he didn't screech at when I was trying to find a good one for him._

_The food here is really good too, though not as good as yours, mum, and they don't have chocolate chip pancakes._

_There is a Quidditch game in two weeks between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. I am excited to finally see a real game._

_I share a room with a few other girls, and they are all pretty nice. They are all in my classes too, so at least I will have people to study with._

_I miss you both, and I love you.'_

Alessa sighed, signing off the letter and rolling it up. She would have to make sure to visit the owlery the next morning to send it off.

* * *

"Mum!" Alessa shouted, weaving her way past her fellow third years to her mother and hugging her tightly. The Hogwarts Express sat behind them, wafting steam over the crowded platform.

"Alessa," her mum sighed, squeezing her tightly. "I'm so glad you are okay. When I heard about those kids getting attacked at your school I wanted to have you come right home. Your father convinced me to wait until Christmas break, but there is no way I'm letting you go back after the holidays. We will find a different school or something," her mum said, still squeezing her in a tight hug as she rambled on.

"Mum! I have to go back! I can't start another school halfway through the year. Besides, I like this school." Alessa said, pulling away from her mother. Nearly all the students in the school had been anxious to go home for the holidays, all of them were afraid of whoever it was that called himself 'Slytherins Heir' and had been going around attacking people. Everyone had been jumpy and nervous walking through the halls of the castle the last few months, giving the school a dreary feel to it. Alessa was glad to be going home for a few weeks.

The trip home was quick considering they had to wait for a muggle cab driver to take them there. The house was relatively large, much larger than was needed for the three who lived there, but it had been in her mothers family for generations. It was set far enough out of London that not many muggles would come near it by accident, but it was close enough to the city to let the family venture out into the muggle world if they wanted to.

Upon arriving at the house and dragging her luggage after her, Alessa waited until the muggle driver left before turning to her mother.

"I started feeling emotions last month, like how you said I would. I wasn't paying attention at all, or trying to feel them, I just suddenly knew how everyone in class was feeling," Alessa said quietly as her mother unlocked the front door of the house.

Once the door was closed tightly behind them, her mother turned to look at her for a moment, then smiled.

"Well, thats to be expected. You are getting older now, so any abilities you might develop should be showing themselves soon," she said, walking into the entry hall and kicking her shoes off.

"But its overwhelming, mum. My head hurts if I walk through the halls when a lot of people are out. And meal times are terrible. It feels like everyone is inside my head," Alessa said, dropping her eyes to stare at the floor. "I've been skipping dinner in the great hall for the last couple weeks. It's just so tiring to be around everyone else."

"Hm," her mother was still watching her, but her eyebrows had pulled together as she thought. "Well, I don't know what to tell you. That has never happened to me. I've only ever been able to sense a few people around me at a time. Maybe your gift is just stronger than mine is."

"So theres nothing I can do to make it go away?" Alessa asked, her voice trembled slightly.

"Not that I know of… although… my mothers sister was said to have more power than anyone else in my family. I'm not sure if she is still alive though, I have never met her. My mum said that they didn't get along very well," her mother said distractedly. "I'm not even sure what her name was actually."

"Can we ask grandma?" Alessa asked hopefully.

"I'll floo her after dinner and see what she says. Now go put your things away, dad will be home any minute," her mother said, giving her a gentle push toward the stairs.

* * *

"You need to see my mother-in-law? Whatever for? She's completely insane," said the stunningly beautiful woman who had answered the door to the mansion Alessa and her mother had gone to visit the next morning.

"Well you see, Mrs. Zabini, Kathrine is my mothers sister, and my daughter here has been very interested in learning about our family history, so we were hoping we could talk with her for a few minutes," Alessa's mother said placatingly. Alessa kept a straight face through the lying.

"Right. And what did you say your name is again?" Mrs. Zabini asked, her eyes narrowed.

"I'm Isabelle Sarati, and this is my daughter, Alessa," she replied, holding a smile on her face for the slightly younger woman.

"Alright. I guess it wouldn't hurt for you to talk to her, although I must warn you, she's not right in the head. You will be lucky if even listens to you," Mrs. Zabini said, pushing the door open farther to let them into the house. The inside was richly decorated and sparklingly clean. She led the two women into a lavish sitting room, before turning back to them. "I'll go get grandmother, and I'll have some refreshments sent up. I'm afraid I need to run, I have an appointment that I simply can't miss. If you need anything else, my son Blaise is around somewhere, just have one of the house elves fetch him. It was nice meeting you." She left the room, closing the door behind her.

"She seems… nice," Alessa commented to her mother as she looked around the richly decorated room.

"The Zabini's come from a long line of pure blood witches and wizards. They are members of the elite pureblood society. I'm surprised she let us in at all actually. My parents used to be a part of that social circle when I was young, but many of the old families exiled me when I married your father, his dad was a muggleborn. My mother is still pretty high standing in the pureblood society, but she doesn't attend all the social events anymore. I'm surprised Mrs. Zabini recognized our last name at all."

"Is that why dad took your name when you married? So that the pureblood families would still know who we are?" Alessa asked picking up a small sculpture to look closer at the detail on it.

"I think that was one of his reasons, but he had others too. Put that down," she said, sitting in one of the ornate arm chairs in the room and crossing her legs.

The door opened again and an elderly woman entered, closing the door behind her. Seconds later, a house elf appeared with a tray of snacks and a pitcher of juice. When the house elf disapperated, the woman waved her wand towards the door, muttering under her breath.

"Silencing charm," she said, as if answering a question. "You can never be too careful." She poured herself a cup of juice, then sat in an arm chair, spreading the skirts she wore around her in an elegant fashion. "Now, you are Isabelle, my sister's kid, no?" She pointed to Isabelle, who nodded. "And I don't know your name." She pointed to Alessa, who glanced at her mother.

"This is my daughter, Alessa," Isabelle said, gesturing Alessa closer.

"Ah yes, I'd heard you'd married. Half blood bloke but his mother came from the old Williams family, correct? A long line of very talented witches and wizards. That line is all but dead now, if I recall correctly, Alessa here would be the last in that family," she said, then continued, not waiting for validation on anything she said. "Well then, you, girl, would get the empath gene from both sides of your family. Which means you are here because you want me to teach you how to use your gifts, yes?" She finally paused, looking at the other women for a few seconds, waiting for a response. When both of them just gaped at her, she laughed. "Come now, it's not that hard to figure out, why else would you hunt me out? Do you, or do you not, want me to help you?"

"Yes, that is why we are here," Isabelle said, recovering herself. "Alessa's gift is developing faster than mine ever did, and I was hoping that you could teach her how to control it."

"Fine, fine," she said, flapping a hand towards Isabelle. "You girl, can you talk at all, or do you just let others do the talking for you?"

"Yes," Alessa said, then cleared her throat. "I can speak. Um, I was hoping you could teach me how to use my gifts, please."

The old woman narrowed her eyes, looking the girl over. "Fine. Your lessons start now. I'm assuming you are still attending school, yes?"

"Yes, I'm in my third year, at Hogwarts," Alessa said, looking at her feet as she spoke.

"We were thinking of pulling her out, actually. There have been a lot of bad things happening at the school as of late. I'm not sure that it's safe anymore. My husband and I talked about home schooling," Isabelle said, ignoring a sound of protest from her daughter.

"Nonsense. The safest place for anyone to be is wherever Albus Dumbledore is. Besides, you need to be near crowds if you ever want to master your abilities, Alessa. Now, Isabelle, you may leave us. I'll send the girl home when we are done for today," the old woman said, looking at Alessa's mother. Then she whirled around to point at Alessa. "And you girl, you will come here every day until you return to school in three weeks. When you go home for the summer holidays, you will come here every day until I decide you have learned all I can teach you."

Isabelle and Alessa looked at each other warily, not sure whether to trust this bizarre woman. Alessa nodded at her mother, and Isabelle sighed, getting to her feet.

"You may use the floo network from the front room. I'll reset the wards so that you may arrive that way each day, Alessa," Kathrine said. Isabelle nodded, then left the room.

"Now, to begin, explain what you know so far, and I will teach you ways to control your abilities if you are able to learn them."

* * *

"Ms. Sarati," Professor McGonagall said, distracting Alessa from her sixth year divination book she had been reading at the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall over lunch. Alessa looked up. "Please go to Professor Flitwick's office when you are finished with your meal, you are excused from your remaining classes for the day."

"Yes Professor," Alessa said, frowning. She waited until the professor had walked away before tucking her book back into her bag and standing. She made her way out of the Great Hall, toward her charms classroom where professor Flitwick's office was.

Alessa knocked on professor Flitwick's open door frame before walking into the office, making him look up from a paper he had been reading at his desk. His eyes widened slightly as he saw her, and he teetered on the stack of books he sat on for a moment before beckoning her forward.

"Ah, Ms. Sarati, please have a seat." Alessa sat, concerned by the look on her Professor's face. "Now, this will come as a shock, and I'm very sorry that I am the one to tell you. Um, there's no easy way to say this. Yesterday evening there was a reported disturbance at your home. When the aurors arrived… I'm sorry Alessa, but your parents were found dead."

"Found dead?" Alessa repeated, slumping back into her chair, too shocked to keep up the good posture that her great aunt had pounded into her head during their lessons. "But… what happened?"

"The aurors said that the kitchen was severely damaged, it looked like a potions accident," Flitwick said gravely, folding his hands together on top of the desk.

"Oh," Alessa said, stunned. She took a deep breath as a few tears leaked out of her eyes. Remembering what her great aunt had said during their lessons, she tried to contain her emotions. She wiped her cheeks dry and took a deep, calming breath. She didn't want her own emotions leaking out and affecting anyone else.

"You will be excused from your classes for today. If you need more time away from your fellow students, let me know in the morning and I will excuse you from classes tomorrow. I'm terribly sorry for your loss, Ms. Sarati." Alessa nodded at the tiny man to show she had heard him. "Very well, you may return to your dorm. And Ms. Sarati… if you ever need to talk, any of your professors are willing to help you."

"Thank you Professor, but I'm alright," she said, standing and using the sleeve of her uniform to wipe her eyes again.

"Oh, Ms. Sarati, I'm sorry to bring this up now, but do you have any remaining relatives? You will need an adult guardian until you turn seventeen next spring." Alessa sank back into her chair for a moment, thinking.

"My grandmother passed away last year, Professor. I guess… my only other relative is my great aunt, Kathrine Zabini," Alessa said. "I might have some cousins somewhere, but I've never met any of them."

"Very well. I will write to the Zabini's and explain your situation. If they are unable to accommodate you, I suggest you start thinking of alternative places to stay. Oh, let me write you a note to excuse you, in case you run into Professor Umbridge or her Inquisitorial Squad on your way to your dorm," Professor Flitwick said, scribbling on a piece of parchment for a moment, then handing it to her.

"Thank you Professor," Alessa said, then she gathered her things and left.

She waited until she was alone in her dormitory to let herself cry.

* * *

"Okay Alessa, there is nothing left for me to teach you. If there is anything left for you to learn, you will have to do so from experience," Her aunt said one night, standing from the small table in the sitting room they normally used for lessons in Zabini Manor.

"Thank you Aunt," Alessa said, leaning back in her chair, thinking.

"Did your parents ever teach you about the calling you might get?" her aunt asked suddenly, turning back to her.

"Calling?" Alessa asked, shaking her head. "I don't think so."

"The calling, some call it the Pull, is a feeling you might get, it's like fate directing you to go where you need to go. Have you ever felt a sudden urge to do something, or go somewhere?" Her aunt asked, watching her.

"I don't think I have," Alessa said, trying to think back over that last six and a half years of school, then shaking her head.

"It's mostly instinct. Make sure you follow your instinct, it's usually right. If you get the Pull, and you might not, it will be stronger than instinct, it will feel like something is hooked just under your heart and it is directing you. Make sure you follow it if you feel it, it is your fate," she said in a grave voice.

"So I have to follow it? What if I don't want to,?" Alessa asked, her eyebrows drawn together.

"Would you mess around with your own fate?" Her aunt asked, raising an indignant eyebrow.

"No, of course not," Alessa said, shaking her head again.

"Then make sure you follow your instincts, even if they feel silly at the time," her aunt said.

"You are talking like I won't be around here much longer, Aunt," Alessa said, frowning.

"Will you be? I don't expect that you will want to live here when you are finished with school in a few months. I'm sure your parents left enough gold in Gringotts for you to rent a place on your own. I suggest wizarding London, there are a few buildings near St. Mungos that have some nice flats," she said, walking to the window to look across the yard

"I have been thinking about moving out," Alessa admitted. "It just never seemed like a good time. It's not as if I dislike living here, how could I? You're the only one here most of the time. I don't think I have seen Mrs. Zabini since the first day I moved here, and Blaise is usually gone too," Alessa said, sighing.

"Well, I'm sure they will both be here for Christmas tomorrow. The elves did a wonderful job decorating, so we may as well enjoy it. Would you care for some hot chocolate, dear?" She asked turning to pull the door open.

"Yes please, Aunt." Alessa said, smiling at the old woman.

* * *

"It is nearly time," Professor, now headmistress, McGonagall said, causing the great hall to fall into silence, not that it had been loud in the first place. "Please follow your heads of house out into the grounds. Gryffindors after me."

Alessa and the rest of Ravenclaw table waited for the Gryffindors to file out of the hall before falling in line behind Professor Flitwick. They followed the rest of the school down to the lake where Dumbledore's casket lay at the front of hundreds of chairs. Alessa could feel the sorrow and anger and fear pressing down on her from the other students, but she kept a straight face as she took her seat. She pushed her emotions, along with those of the people around her, into the back of her mind, as she had practiced so many times before. She listened intently as the Minister for Magic spoke, and then person after person got up to say a few words. The end of year exams had taken place mere days before the death of their headmaster. Alessa had studied all year for her N.E.W.T.s and she was sure she had done her best, but now tests and school seemed so trivial. She had let her great aunt find a flat in wizarding London for her, and was expecting to move into it right after the school year ended. Alessa had been dreading having to leave Hogwarts, she loved the school. But now she was glad she didn't have to return next year. It just wouldn't be the same without Dumbledore as the headmaster.

The funeral drew to an end, and the students headed back up to the castle to finish packing and say their goodbyes, since the train home left early the next morning. Alessa didn't have many goodbyes to say, she had stayed mostly to herself over the years, not really making any close friends.

Alessa sat in a compartment with her dorm mates on the train, all of them were quiet, either reading, or gazing out the window.

She bid them farewell as the train came to a stop.

Finally, she dragged her trunk from the overhead racks, grabbed the owl cage from the floor, and left the station to find a cab to the Zabini Mansion so she could pack her belongings from there. In two days time, she would be living on her own, completely alone for the first time in her life. She wasn't nervous at all, nor was she excited. It just seemed like the next logical step she needed to take. She wouldn't miss the Zabini's, since she hardly knew them, though she would miss her great aunt.

The platform was subdued, much quieter than it usually was, but Alessa hardly noticed as she walked alone through the barrier to King Cross station, ready to begin her life afresh.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Purpose

Alessa woke with a start. Sitting up quickly, she threw her blankets off and tried to stand, only to sit back down as her head swam. It was raining and a flash of lightning lit her room. As the resulting thunder rolled through the room, she thought that it was the rain that had woken her in the middle of the night, but as she blinked and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, she felt uneasy. She grabbed her wand from her bedside table and muttered 'Lumos' under her breath.

As the light filled the room, she looked around for anything that was out of place. She had warded her apartment with all the protection spells she could find, just as a precaution. There wasn't really a need for strong protections anymore. The war had ended nearly two years ago, and as the Aurors had rounded up most of the remaining death eaters, the wizarding community had never been safer. Most people still warded their homes and were jumpier than normal people, as a lingering habit from a time when that was needed to survive.

Alessa had not participated in the war. Most wizards in London didn't even know that the final battle had happened until days later when the Daily Prophet reported that the Dark Lord had been killed. She had turned up at Hogwarts with hundreds of other people who wanted to help with the rebuilding of the castle. Between the multitudes of people who wanted to help, and the donations from many old wizarding families who wanted to prove their innocence through money, it had only taken a few months to rebuild the castle. It had been open in time for the new school year.

Alessa had been living in a quiet part of wizarding London for nearly three years now. She had been working as a secretary at St. Mungos, simply because it was nearby and she needed something to pass the time. As the last remaining descendent of the Williams family, she had inherited a sizable fortune from her fathers deceased family. Her parents had also left her their vault in Gringotts, which held money from her mothers family as well as any money her parents had made through the years of brewing potions for a living.

Alessa had opened her own vault at Gringotts when she had moved to London. She had taken only a small portion of gold from both of the family vaults, just enough to get started on her own, and then she had added her pay from St. Mungos to her own account, preferring to live off her own income rather than family money.

She finished searching her small flat for anything that shouldn't have been there. Not finding anything, she went to the kitchen to turn on a kettle. Some calming tea was just what she needed now. It was only five in the morning, according to the clock about her couch, but there was no point in going back to sleep now. She would have to be up in an hour and a half for work anyways. This was the third night in a row when something had awoken her early. Last night it had been her neighbors slamming their door as they came home from a night shift. The night before there had been sirens from the muggle street below. She sighed. At this rate she would be tired all the time.

The kettle whistled to let her her know it was finished heating. She loved this muggle invention, it was the one of the only ones she used, though the building had originally been a muggle one before the witch who currently owned it had bought the building and enchanted it so that muggles didn't even know it was there. The building had working electric, and the owner had left all the muggle appliances in. The witch had shown Alessa how to work things like the stove and the refrigerator when she had moved in, but Alessa found it easier to use those things as little as possible. She did, however, use the lights. And the toaster. But most of the other muggle things went unused.

Alessa had poured the water into her favorite mug to let the tea steep and settled onto the couch before she felt something unusual again. Just for a second, she had felt like something was pushing against her chest. She stood, setting her mug on the low table in front of her. She stood completely still, mind blank as she waited. There! It happened again, and she was struck with the sudden need to floo into work early.

Hand pressed against her chest, she remembered a conversation she had had with her great aunt years ago, about the Pull, and what it would feel like. At the time, she had assumed from the way her aunt had explained, that it would feel much like a port key. Now though, she was sure this was what her aunt had described, and it was nothing like a port key, more like something heavy sat on her chest, causing her breaths to come in short gasps.

Alessa slipped on her shoes and ran out her door, down to the lobby where the owner had installed a fireplace connected to the floo network. Alessa grabbed a handful of powder from the jar above the fireplace and stepped into the flames.

"Zabini Manor," she said in a clear voice as she threw the powder down. She spun through the fireplace, making sure to keep her arms tucked in, and then she stumbled, coughing slightly, into the Zabini's sitting parlor. She brushed the ash from her pajamas and wished suddenly that she had taken time to change into something more appropriate for a visit to her aunt.

The door cracked open and light flared into the room. Alessa blinked at the sudden brightness.

"What are you doing here? It's five in the morning and you set the wards off," Blaise said, stifling a yawn.

"I'm sorry. I need to speak to Aunt, it couldn't wait," Alessa explained warily. She had hardly spoken to Blaise when she had lived here, but over the last three years, they had become, not quite friends, but they didn't ignore each other either. Alessa had never really spent time with the boy, maybe they could become friends if she did, but he was always busy doing something or other, and she worked a lot. Now Blaise looked at her in curiosity.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, taking in her ruffled appearance.

"Yeah, everything is fine, I just remembered something I needed to ask Aunt," Alessa said, lying a bit.

"I don't know if she's awake yet, but you can try," Blaise said, turning back down the hall. Alessa followed.

Blaise turned into his room and shut the door behind him, and Alessa continued down the hall a bit farther. She came to a stop in front of her great aunts door and hesitated, then knocked. Her aunt opened the door mere seconds later, already dressed and ready for the day.

"Alessa, I had a feeling you would come by today, though not so early."

Alessa followed her into the room and closed the door before casting a silencing charm.

"Aunt, I think I felt the Pull this morning. It woke me up," Alessa explained as her aunt walked around the side of her bed, making it up.

"Grab that end over there would you dear?" Alessa walked to the other side of the bed, pulling the blanket up. "Now, what was the Pull telling you to do?"

"I think… I think I should quit St. Mungos. The idea just came into my head the second time."

"Second time?" Her aunt asked, fluffing up the pillows and arranging them neatly on her bed.

"Well, the first time I felt it, it woke me up. Then I was making tea and I felt it again," Alessa explained.

"So are you going to quit your job?" Her aunt asked, sitting in a chair near the door and watching Alessa pace around the room.

"I don't know. What would I do with my time then? I can't just sit around in my flat."

"So you are going to ignore the Pull?" Her aunt asked, raising her eyebrows though she kept her voice politely even, letting Alessa know that she wouldn't lecture the girl if she chose to ignore the previous lessons.

"No," Alessa shook her head as she paced. "Of course not, but what if it's not the Pull? It doesn't feel like something is pulling me in any certain direction, it feels like someone is pressing down on my chest."

"Well," her aunt said, standing and opening the door. She beckoned to Alessa to follow her. "You will do whatever you think is right, Alessa." They walked together down the stairs to the dining room where two elves were busy putting out plates and silverware for breakfast.

As they sat together, Alessa thought about what to do. The elves brought out different kinds of fruit and other breakfast foods for them. The two women ate in silence, and as the elves cleared their plates away, Alessa stood.

"Alright. I will leave my job today," Alessa said, having thought it over. She gave her aunt a hug. "Thanks Aunt."

"I didn't do anything at all dear. You came to your own decisions. Now run along, you wouldn't want to be late for your last day of work."

* * *

Alessa sat writing a letter to her great aunt. It had been nearly a week since she had left her job, and she was starting to go crazy without anything to do. She finished her letter and started to reread it to make sure there wasn't anything else she could say. The letter was mostly chit chat, and also an invitation out to lunch sometime.

She had just finished folding the letter when a knock sounded from the front door. She tucked her wand into her sleeve where she normally kept it before going to peer out the peep hole in the door.

"Mrs. Jacobson, how are you?" Alessa asked, opening the door to her elderly neighbor.

"I'm well dear, I just came to ask a favor of you. I hate to be a bother, but my knees are aching something fierce today. Would you mind terribly if I asked you to pick up a few potion ingredients from Diagon Alley for me?" The short woman asked.

"Sure, I need to stop at Flourish and Blotts anyway," Alessa said, glad for something to do. "I just need to finish a letter and then I'll be on my way. What do you need?"

"Thank you so much dear. I'll get my list, just a minute," Mrs. Jacobson said, turning to walk across the hall back to her own flat. Alessa left her door open and went back to her writing desk. She lit a candle and let it burn for a few second before dripping the melted wax onto her finished letter. She pushed a stamp of her family crest into the hot wax, then waved the letter in the air to cool it. Finally she made her way over to the big window in her living room. Her owl stood on a perch in front of the open window, sleeping. When Alessa had prodded him awake and fed him a treat, he offered a leg for her to tie the letter to, then took off out the window.

Alessa put her dark blue traveling cloak on over her casual clothes. It was the beginning of summer, but the days still turned chilly sometimes.

Mrs. Jacobson had returned with the list of items she needed from the apothecary, and Alessa went down to the street and into a nearby alleyway to apparate to Diagon Alley.

She spent a good part of the afternoon wandering through the many book shelves in Flourish and Blotts, looking for interesting titles to take home. Finally she settled on three new books, visited the apothecary, and set off back to the Leaky Cauldron to apparate home.

She was just passing a brightly colored building when she felt that push over her heart again. It was as if someone had cast a summoning charm on her, she felt compelled to enter the building.

She walked up the front stairs, glancing at the window which held a brightly colored assortment of objects and posters. As she pulled the front door open, a barrage of smells and sounds met her, and she felt intrigued by the variety of strange objects she could see. The shop was somewhat crowded, many of the patrons had children with them. Said children were everywhere, running up and down the isles, laughing, and playing with toys. A group of girls stood near the window giggling over a steaming display of pink potions. A group of school aged children stood near a shelf that held different colored boxes of candies.

From what Alessa could gather, this was a joke shop, full of instruments used in pranks. She could feel the happiness and joy from the other people in the shop practically rolling off of them, and she smiled, letting some of that emotion into her mind rather than pushing it away as she usually did. She wandered through the isles toward the other end of the store, stopping every now and then to look at something on the shelves.

Since she had been letting the happiness of the place into her mind, Alessa noticed immediately when a cloud of sorrow swamped over her, if she had been pushing away the emotions like she usually did, she might never have noticed, but now she frowned, looking around for the source. She ended up back near the front of the store, by the check out counter. The red haired girl working the counter was smiling at the customers, and Alessa determined the sadness hadn't come from her, though she wasn't as happy as she acted either. The door to the back room opened and a tall redheaded boy came out, holding a box.

"Excuse me," Alessa said suddenly to the girl, making her turn away from the boy and smile politely again.

"Yes, can I help you find something?" She asked. Alessa thought she looked vaguely familiar and remembered seeing her around school a few times, but she couldn't recall her name.

"Actually, I'm looking for a job," Alessa said without meaning to. She had meant to ask the girls name, but her brain had other ideas.

The red haired girl smiled brightly at her.

"That's great, we really need some help around here, the summer is the busiest season. I'd love to talk to you now, but it's a little busy. Do you think you could come back around eight tonight? Thats when we close, and then we can talk. I'm Ginny by the way, my brother George is the one who owns this place. What's your name?"

"I'm Alessa Sarati. I can come back at eight, it's no problem," Alessa said, shaking the hand the girl held out over the counter for her to shake.

"Brilliant. Well I'll see you later then," Ginny said, smiling again. Alessa returned the smile, then left the building, her mind spinning. She hadn't meant to come here looking for a job, but now that she had possibly found one, her mind was full of ideas. She had been wanting a change for a while, why not move to the residential part of Diagon Alley? She had considered moving back into her parents house, since she had paid to have it repaired a few years ago, and there were two house elves there now, keeping the place in working order. She hadn't returned since her parents had died. When she had moved to the Zabini's Mansion, her great aunt had sent their house elves to collect her belongings, so she had never had a reason to go back, and it was also her great aunt that had suggested hiring elves to keep up the place.

Now she felt a sudden desire to move to Diagon Alley rather than back out to the country.

She carried her bags of books and potion ingredients back to the Leaky Cauldron and apparated home, still smiling slightly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Meetings

When 7:30 rolled around, Alessa started to get ready for her trip back to Diagon Alley. She let her hair out of its usual single braid, brushed it out, then carefully braided it back, putting all the loose hairs back into their proper places. She dressed in nicer clothes than her casual ones, though she didn't wear her most professional clothing, and splashed a little bit of water onto her face. She put on her traveling cloak and made sure her wand was in her sleeve, then she left her flat, locking the door behind her.

She had spent the rest of the afternoon putting her belongings into boxes. She wasn't sure about the job yet, but she was sure she was going to move whether she got it or not. She had always done a good job of following her instincts, so why should this time be any different? She had sorted most of the things in her living room and kitchen into boxes, leaving the rest of the place until she actually found a place to move into.

When she arrived in the Leaky Cauldron, she was a little surprised by the amount of people there, but then she remembered it was a Friday night, and just because she never went out for drinks didn't mean that no one else did. The pub was a little rundown form the outside, but it had been fixed up on the inside so that it was now an acceptable establishment, not as nice as the fancier places down the alley, but not as bad as the Hog's Head by any means.

She wove her way through the crowd, spotting a few familiar faces from her school days though she didn't stop to chat with any of them. In the back yard, she stopped and took a deep breath. She rarely got nervous, or felt many other emotions for that matter. She was too used to pushing her emotions into a box in her mind so they didn't leak out to others. But tonight, she was a little nervous. She had felt an excitement building all night, she finally had a purpose, something to do, and even though she wasn't sure what that purpose was yet, she was glad to have something to work towards.

She took another deep breath and focused on pushing her emotions into the little well kept box in her mind. She took out her wand and tapped the third brick from the left as she had done hundreds of times before, then watched as the stones moved to form an archway into Diagon Alley. Much of the foot traffic from earlier in the day had died down, seeing as the only places open this late were a few small cafe's, a high scale drinking den at the end of the street, and the Leaky Cauldron.

She made her way down the street to the joke shop, this time taking the time to read the name of the shop. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Now she remembered why she knew the two red heads from earlier. Both of them, and two of their brothers had been on the Gryffindor Quidditch team during school. Alessa had watched all of the games, not for love of the sport, though she did enjoy it, but rather because it was the one time she could let loose and allow the excitement and joy of those around her wash over her, and she could let her own emotions out of their box, because no one around her would notice a little extra excitement.

The shop windows were covered by blinds, and the sign said closed, but when she tried the handle, Alessa found it unlocked. She pushed the door open, and shut it quietly behind her, so as to not startle anyone else in the building. No one was at the counter, but she could hear voices coming from the door that led to the back of the shop.

"Ginny, I already told you I don't want to hire anyone else. We don't need help, and I don't want to deal with anyone new," a male voice said sharply.

"Now you listen here, George. I have told you time and time again that I'm leaving after the wedding. That gives you two months to find someone else to help out around here. And it's about time you start socializing again. We are talking to this girl, and if she fits what the job requires, we _will_ hire her," Ginny replied, her voice raised. Then she sighed, her voice taking on a more soothing tone. "Look, I know this is hard for you. It's hard for all of us, we all miss Fred. But he wouldn't want you sulking around like this, and you know it. When is the last time you talked to any of your friends? Lee Jordan? How about Katie Bell? You can't keep everything bottled up. They are here for you, and the rest of us are here for you too."

"I know Ginny, I'm sorry. It's just… hard. Look, can you do the interview while I finish up here?" George said.

"Sure, I guess," Ginny said quietly.

Alessa backed up to the door and pulled it open quietly before letting it shut loudly.

"Hello?" She called.

Ginny came out of the back, smiling. Alessa could feel the dark cloud of emotions she had felt earlier in the day move away from them, probably to the upper floors of the building.

"Hi Alessa. Would you mind terribly if we talked at the cafe next door? I haven't eaten all day," Ginny asked, collecting her cloak and a small purse from behind the counter.

"Sure, now that you mention it, I'm pretty hungry too," Alessa said smiling. She liked the easy going nature that Ginny had shown her so far, it was calming.

The two girls made their way to the cafe and sat at a table near the window. They ordered their food, then sat quietly for a few minutes, both of them watching the spare foot traffic still out on the street in the faint light from the street lamps.

Ginny broke the comfortable silence by stifling a yawn. " Sorry," she said, covering her mouth. "It's been a long day."

"Yeah, I know how that goes. I spent all day packing up my flat," Alessa said with a chuckle.

"Oh, are you moving?" Ginny asked, glad to have a subject to get the conversation rolling.

"Yeah. Up until last week I worked as a secretary at St. Mungos, but it just wasn't what I wanted to be doing, so I left. I've been thinking about moving to the north side of Diagon Alley for a while now, and this just seems like a good time," Alessa said, sipping on the tea she had ordered.

"Oh, yeah, I would think St. Mungos would be really boring after a while. Working at the joke shop is tiring, but at least it's fun most of the time," Ginny said, sitting back in her chair. "You know, you look really familiar. Have we met before?"

"Oh, probably not. I was in Ravenclaw a few years ahead of you I think. I can't think where we would have met," Alessa said. She had spent most of her time at school purposely avoiding everyone else when she could. It's not that she didn't like people, but throughout most of her school years she had been trying to learn more about her abilities, and she had tried to stay away from anyone who might think it odd when she would know how they were feeling without being told, which was most people.

"Oh, I must have just seen you around a few times then," Ginny said. "To be honest, I've already decided to hire you. You seem nice, and we really need help around the shop. I've been working there for about a year now, but I'm getting married in a few months and I want to try out for professional Quidditch come fall time. They hold auditions in August usually."

Alessa smiled. "That sounds like an exciting job, and congratulations on your marriage."

"Thanks," she said, then frowned slightly. "There are a few things you might need to know before you decide if you want the job," Ginny said lowering her voice as the waitress came towards them with their food. They waited until she had put down the food and left before continuing the conversation.

"Things I should know?" Alessa asked, then took a bite of her pasta. It was very good. She'd never had much of a reason to go out to eat, but if she would be working next door, this was definitely a good place to come for lunch.

"Well, a few years ago, my brother Fred was killed in the war. He was Georges twin, and George… he's been having a really hard time dealing with it. He shuts out everyone around him, and he won't talk about it to anyone, and there are times when he just can't be around the shop at all because its too overwhelming for him. It's been hard for my family. George doesn't come around the house anymore. It's like losing two brothers, not one. He's been getting better though, a little. He might be a bit hard to deal with at times, but he's a good guy." Ginny said most of this in a rush, as though trying to simultaneously explain her family and also defend them.

"You don't need to tell me all this, Ginny," Alessa said, feeling a little uncomfortable. "It's not really any of my business."

"I just want you to understand what you are signing up for if you take this job," Ginny said, sitting back in her chair. "The last two people we have tried to hire ended up leaving because of the emotional stress of being around someone who is still in mourning."

"I'm good at dealing with emotions," Alessa said, smiling to herself at the irony of that statement. "I can deal with anything that might happen, I promise."

"That's good to hear," Ginny said, beginning to eat her food again. Alessa felt the relief coming from her. She must have though Alessa would turn down the job.

"I lost my parents before the war started. Not to death eaters, just a potions accident. But I know how difficult it is to lose a family member. I'm not going to leave just because someone is upset," Alessa said, feeling the need to identify further with Ginny. "I really feel like this job is something I need right now."

Ginny smiled at her, and they ate in silence for a few minutes. Alessa hardly knew Ginny at all, but she felt like they could become good friends if given the chance.

"So you are getting married? To whom?" Alessa asked, starting the conversation back up in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere a little.

"Oh, Harry Potter, actually. We've been dating for quite a while," Ginny said, blushing. "I'm really excited to finally be married to him. I've had a crush on him since I was 10." She chuckled. Alessa laughed with her.

"Well then it's a good thing you are marrying him. If you've liked him that long and you still want to be with him, you will never get tired of him," Alessa said, finishing off her food. She pushed her plate to the middle of the table, stacking Ginny's already empty plate on top of it.

"Ha, I hope not," the younger girl said, chuckling at the thought. "So, would you be able to start tomorrow morning? We open at ten, but it doesn't really get busy until after noon. I can run you through the register and everything in the morning," Ginny said, standing.

"That sounds perfect. Should I be there at ten or earlier?" Alessa asked.

"Hm. Maybe around 9:30?" Ginny asked, finishing off her drink.

"Okay," Alessa said, smiling.

The two girls set coins on the table to pay for their food, then left the cafe. Alessa waved goodbye to Ginny before heading back to the Leaky Cauldron to apparate home.

Alessa woke up a little before eight due to the sun shining through her window and the screech of her owl Apollo sitting near her with a letter tied to his leg. Still yawning, she got up to untie the letter, then smiled. Today was the first day in over a week that she hadn't woken suddenly in the middle of the night for no reason.

She looked down at the seal on the letter, determining that it was from her great aunt, then broke the seal and opened the paper. Her aunt agreed to a lunch outing, and Alessa made a note in the back of her mind to find out when her days off work were before she wrote back.

She turned on the kettle to make some tea, then jumped in the shower. Once she was clean, she braided her hair back into its usual place, then poured herself some tea and sipped it as she went back to her room to pick out her clothes. Ginny hadn't said anything about a uniform, so Alessa settled for some dark colored pants and a white blouse.

She was so restless she ended up getting to the store fifteen minutes earlier than Ginny expected her. The door was still locked, which Alessa had half expected, so she knocked quietly, not sure if anyone was even inside.

After waiting for almost a minute, Alessa turned away, deciding to wait at the cafe next door until Ginny got in. She was halfway down the steps when the door flew open behind her. She turned to see the red haired boy from yesterday, Ginny's brother. Alessa couldn't remember what Ginny had said his name was.

"Good morning Mr. Weasley. Sorry I'm a bit early," Alessa said, walking back up the stairs.

"No problem. Alessa right? Please call me George," he said, grinning at her. He shook her hand excitedly then pulled her into the building letting the door shut behind them. "Sorry I didn't get to meet you yesterday, I had some stuff to take care of, but Ginny informed me that you are 'delightful' and 'smart', her words not mine."

Alessa blinked in surprise. The change between this George and the one she had seen yesterday was monumental. She would have believed they were different people, but she could feel the depression underneath a very small amount of genuine excitement and happiness that radiated from him.

"Ha, well I'm sure you will learn differently. I'm not at all delightful if I get woken up early, or don't get my caffeine in the morning," Alessa said, smiling.

"Oh good, Ginny didn't say anything about a sense of humor, so I'm glad you know how to joke, you will need it here," George said, laughing.

"You think I'm kidding? I was totally serious about the caffeine," Alessa said straight faced, though the corners of her mouth tipped up into an almost smile.

"Well it's a good thing I know how to make coffee then," George said, equally serious. "If you ever show up angry, I will just throw some at you."

They both laughed again. While they had been talking, George had led them to the back of the store, through a door marked 'Keep Out' and down some stairs into what was obviously a storage room, though Alessa suspected that it hadn't been built for such use when the building was made, since it had a low ceiling and rounded stones for the walls that made it difficult to place flat shelving against, though that was exactly what had been done.

George walked to a large plastic storage box near the door and fished through it for a few moments, then held up a bright red apron emblazoned with WWW in gold on the front.

"Here you go, you can wear anything you want to work, the apron is just so that the customers know who to complain to," George said, his voice still joking.

"I see you aren't wearing an apron. Is that so the difficult customers come to me instead?" Alessa asked, looping the apron over her head and tying it behind her quickly.

"You catch on quick," George said, grinning. "Now, down here is where we keep the extra stock. It's arranged so that the extras are on the shelves down here in the same place they are up there, so things should be easy to find once you get used to the main room. The basement actually goes under the cafe next door, so it's a lot bigger than upstairs. We use the extra space as a potion brewing lab, and also as an experimental equipment testing and development area. I don't expect you to be a part of that, unless you want to be."

"I'm pretty good at potions, but I've never invented anything before, I don't think I'd be much help there," Alessa commented, following George as he walked through the rows of shelves towards the back of the room.

"That's fine, I'm creative enough on my own," George said. He smiled, but Alessa could feel a spike of sadness grow as he talked.

"So," Alessa said, wanting to distract him from the growing black mood surrounding him. "Did you hire me to hide in a potion lab the whole day?"

"Nah, that's just if we get any mass orders or run out of something we need right away," he said, gesturing to the potions room. She poked her head in, noting that it looked almost the same as the room her parents had used for such work, though their lab had somehow grown a tendency of spilling over into their kitchen. She smiled at the memory. "You will work upstairs, with all the delightful parents that want to blame us for their child setting off fireworks in the house or coloring their hair purple."

"Oh the joy," Alessa said sarcastically, pulling her gaze back to the storage room.

"That's the spirit," George said, slinging an arm around her shoulder and leading her back to the stairs. "Have you ever worked a till before?"

"Nope. Before this I worked as a secretary at St. Mungos. Mostly paperwork, and dealing with the odd patient with some bizarre illness," she said in a joking tone.

"Well, you will be glad to know that there is hardly any paperwork here. And definitely no bizarre illnesses," George said as they climbed the stairs. "Usually."

"Oh, you didn't lock her in the basement with the rest of the prisoners?" Ginny asked as they topped the stairs.

"No, I tried to, but she offered to deal with all the angry parents that come in," George said, letting the employee door swing shut.

"I did no such thing," Alessa said snottily, raising her nose in a jokingly snobby manner. "He knows I'd be able to beat him in a fight if he tried to keep me down there." Ginny laughed.

"So you are acquainted with the storage system we use? It's fairly simple, it won't take you long to get used to it," Ginny said, walking around the check out counter.

"Can you show her how the till works, Gin? I need to run upstairs and change before we open," George said.

"Sure thing. Come around here Alessa," Ginny said, waving her hand. "When the customer comes up here, slide each thing they get across this square. "She ran her hand over a dark wooden portion of the counter, outlined in a sparkling yellow line. "When you are finished, push this button and the total amount they owe will appear on two pieces of this paper." She showed Alessa the charmed rolls of receipt paper set up on holders above the check out square. "Once they pay, give them change and the second paper as a receipt. The first paper goes into our records for the day. Put any gold coins into the safe under the counter. Silver and bronze coins go into this drawer, sickles on the left, knuts on the right. Did you catch all that?"

"Yeah I think so," Alessa said. It seemed like an easy enough system.

"We have bags under the counter for bigger orders," Ginny said, pointing under the counter. Then she turned and led Alessa through the second door labeled "Keep Out".

"George lives in a flat upstairs," she pointed to a set of stairs going up. "There is a bathroom through that door, and if you have anything to store while you work, you can leave it back here." Alessa nodded. She hadn't brought a cloak today as it was pretty warm, so she didn't have anything to leave back here this time. "Now, do you know what a cell phone is?" Ginny asked.

"A what?" Alessa asked, tilting her head to the side.

"It's a muggle invention. A phone is like an owl, but much faster. You call someone on it and they can hear you as if you were standing right next to them," Ginny explained, smirking as Alessa's eyes grew wider and wider. "My friend Hermione introduced them to us last year. She's a muggleborn."

"And muggles invented that? Why don't we all use them? They sound much more convenient than having to wait for an owl," Alessa said.

"They are. My dad has an obsession with muggle technology, so we learn all sorts of useful things they've invented. The phones are extremely useful. Most wizards don't use them because magic interferes with how they work, but Hermione figured out a way to charm them so that the phones stay charged by picking up bits of unused magic. And she did something else I don't really understand to them, I'll let her explain it, if you want one."

"Heck yes I do," Alessa said excitedly. Ginny smiled and Alessa could feel relief for some reason.

"Great. I will ask Hermione for one for you," Ginny said before walking back to the front of the store. "If you are interested, Hermione teaches a small class on Thursdays about other muggle technology. She'd love it if you went."

"That sounds interesting. I grew up in an all wizard family, so I know next to nothing about muggle things," Alessa said, making a mental note to look up more about this class.

"I'm glad you are willing to learn about it though. That was one of the only things I was worried about when I hired you. I knew you are a pureblood, so I wasn't sure if you had the same… disdain for muggles that some of the other pureblood families have," Ginny said, explaining the relief Alessa had felt from her a moment ago.

"Oh. Well I'm willing to learn, I just never really and a reason to before now," Alessa explained. "I have electricity in my flat, but the only thing I know how to use is the toaster and the kettle." Ginny laughed at that, then led her back to the register.

"Before we open, we need to make sure we have enough change for the day. If not, we go to Gringotts and change in some of yesterday's gold coins for smaller ones. We also take yesterdays earnings to the bank in the morning if we get change. Usually thats every other day. At the end of the night you add up all the earnings and write it down here, then put all the coins into a bag and into the safe. I'll give you a key for that later. To start, we need about twenty silver coins…"

Ginny explained the rest of the morning routine, then the two girl headed off on a quick walk to the bank. The goblins had little else to do in the morning, so the trip to the bank only lasted about ten minutes. When they returned to the shop, George had already flipped the sign to open and rolled up the shades from the windows. He sat behind the register with a list, looking over it.

"Today is inventory day," George explained to her as she walked back behind the counter with Ginny. "You won't have to worry about doing this for a while, for today you will basically follow Ginny around and watch her work."

"So do you make all the products here?" Alessa asked.

"No. We invented them all, but we have a warehouse building in wizarding London where other people make the products. We do the most secret ones here though. And all of the potions, since they are so easy to mess up and we want to be sure we are selling the right things," George explained as he finished checking over his list. Alessa nodded.

The day passed quickly for Alessa. Ginny explained that they usually only got a few customers in the morning, so they used that time to stock the shelves. Ginny had a small white board that had a permanent list of the whole stock that she would carry among the shelves and use a small marker to write numbers next to the things they needed. Then they would go down to the basement with a flat wooden board, sort of like a sled almost. They would pile the things they needed onto it then levitate it up the stairs and put the things in their respective places. Alessa had a pretty good eye for presenting things which came from the hours she had spent with her mother gardening and arranging flowers when she was a child. Ginny let her display the different products however she wanted to once she learned that. Alessa took the opportunity to familiarize herself with the different products the shop contained. She memorized the descriptions as she went so she would be able to find them later. Around noon, George disappeared and returned fifteen minutes later with some sandwiches and tea from the cafe next door.

"My friend Lee and his girlfriend own the place next door. They give us free lunch every day in exchange for whatever Lee want's off the shelves. I'll point him out next time he come in so you remember not to charge him."

"Oh, Lee Jordan right? I remember him from school. He accidentally tripped me in the hallway my fifth year and spent the next three weeks walking me to and from all of my classes," Alessa said as the three sat in back eating. Ginny snorted in laughter.

"Oh yeah, I remember that, we made fun of him for having a crush on you, I'd forgotten," George said. Alessa blushed.

"He was just being nice, he didn't have a crush on me," she said under her breath.

"Oh yeah he did, but then you so kindly told him to stop stalking you all day or you would hex him, so he left you alone," George smirked.

"He followed me everywhere! It was annoying," Alessa said chuckling. George shrugged.

"He has a tendency to be a bit obnoxious on occasion," George admitted. Alessa laughed but didn't comment.

They finished their lunch quickly and got back to work. Around six Ginny asked if Alessa wanted to go home.

"I know you probably aren't used to long days," Ginny explained as she bagged up another customers order. It had been steady since lunch and Alessa hadn't even noticed the time. "Usually I stay here all day, but I understand if you don't want to."

"Nah I'm fine. I don't have anything else to do," Alessa said. This job was definitely work, but it was very enjoyable. Most of the customers were good natured and joked with her as they shopped. She was able to answer most of the questions directed at her, and for the last two hours Ginny had been letting her check out people on her own.

"Good. I'm glad you've been picking this all up quickly. The last girl who worked here left because she couldn't handle the stress of customer service. It gets hard sometimes, but you seem to be good at talking to people," Ginny said. The shop was completely empty now, so they took a break, leaning against the counter.

"I've always been good at remembering things. It comes from being in Ravenclaw I think," Alessa shrugged.

"Good. Most days you will be the only person here, George spends a lot of time upstairs, or down in the potions room, but he's usually around if it gets too busy. Once I get you a cell phone you will be able to text him when you need him."

"Text?" Alessa asked.

"I'll explain it later," Ginny laughed. "But anyway, today has been a good day for George. He has a solid amount of good days, but he has more bad days, and at those times you will be working alone. I plan on staying through the end of summer, which is the busy season. It slows down a lot once the kids go back to school for the year. I think that you will be able to handle working alone once the summer is over."

The bell above the door sounded again as a small group of people came in. Ginny squealed, and Alessa had her wand in her hand as she turned toward the people who had come to stand in front of the counter. She put the wand away as she recognized them as Harry Potter and his friends. Ginny ran around the counter to hug Harry enthusiastically. He laughed and hugged her back before giving her a quick kiss.

"Guys, this is Alessa, she will be working here from now on," Ginny said, bringing Alessa to the attention of the others. "Alessa this is Harry, Hermione, and my brother the idiot."

"Hey," Alessa said smiling at them. She had seen the three of them around school a lot, since they always seemed to be getting into trouble.

"I'm not an idiot. Brat," the red haired one said, then turned to Alessa to correct Ginny. "My name is Ron."

"Oh, Hermione, I meant to ask you about getting one of those phones for Alessa," Ginny said, smiling at them.

The group only lingered for a few minutes after Hermione agreed to Ginny's request. Apparently they were only there to tell Ginny that she should try to get George to come to their mothers dinner that night. Ginny said she would let him know.

"He won't go," Ginny said as they settled back into their leaning position against the counter.

"Hmm?" Alessa asked, not having followed most of the conversation.

"George. My mother invites everyone over to dinner once a week, but he hasn't been since before the war. He won't even come out to see Ron when he visits. I'm the only family member he keeps in contact with anymore."

"Oh, thats sad," Alessa said, feeling bad for both George and his family. "It must be difficult for your mother."

"Yeah," Ginny agreed. They were both silent for a few moments. "Oh shoot. I forgot to ask Hermione about that class for you."

"Oh, no problem. I'm sure I can figure it out," Alessa said.

The next two hours went by slowly. The flow of customers had died off and by the end of the night they just got a few now and then. At 7:30 Ginny showed her how to count up all the earnings from the day making sure to subtract the change that had already been in the drawer. Ginny then explained how to produce a list of all the product that had been sold that day so that George would know what to order the next week.

George had been absent since before Harry, Ron, and Hermione had visited, but he turned up in time to flip the sign to closed and pull the shades over the windows.

"So how did you like your first day here?" George asked as Ginny went in back to collect her traveling cloak.

"It was great. I understand most of the things Ginny said, I think," Alessa said smiling.

"Good. I keep the shop closed on Monday's, so you don't need to come in unless we have a big order for something, and then I will let you know."

"Okay, sounds good."

"During the summer it's harder to give days off, but if you need a day off for anything, just let me know. During the winter you can pretty much take any day off you want."

"Okay," Alessa said smiling. They walked to the front door. "Well I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Okay," George smiled. "Make sure you drink some coffee or tea so you don't kill us all in the morning."

"Alright," Alessa laughed. "Bye Ginny," she called to the girl who had just walked back up front with her cloak. She waved and then Alessa was out the door. She walked to the Leakey Cauldron and apparated home, remembering to write back to her aunt about lunch to ask if Monday would be okay, before she was swamped with tiredness. She changed into pajamas and fell into bed, happy with how productive the day had been.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Summer

The rest of the summer passed quickly, or maybe it just seemed that way for Alessa because every day was so similar to the one before it. She would wake up, go to work where it was always busy enough to keep all three employees working constantly. Then she would return home and read for a while, then go to sleep. On her days off, Alessa usually had lunch with her great aunt, or she would spend the day catching up on all the cleaning and household chores that went undone during the week, like laundry and dishes. She had attended Hermione's muggle class every Thursday night all summer and had found it very useful.

Alessa now knew how to use nearly all the muggle things in her apartment, including the stove and oven, which led to home cooked meals like she hadn't had since she lived with the Zabini's. She also completely fell in love with the muggle cell phone Hermione had gotten for her.

Ginny had taught her texting and saved her number and all of her family and friends numbers into the phone, in case of emergency.

Alessa had also learned that Ginny's favorite part of the muggle world were the bars and clubs. Ginny had dragged Alessa out to a different place at least once a week all summer. The red head's excuse was that after a long week of work, they needed to relax and have fun.

Alessa didn't mind the bars, and though she would never tell Ginny, she actually enjoyed dancing at the clubs they went to. Ginny would drag her out more often if she knew Alessa actually had fun though, and once a week was about as much socializing as she could handle.

Although Ginny and Alessa had become good friends over the summer, George had remained distant. He would talk and joke with her at work at times, usually in the mornings, but he often disappeared in the afternoons, and there were days when she didn't see him at all. According to Ginny, he continued to refuse to see his family, though at least one member of the family stopped by each week, usually Ron, but sometimes others came around too.

Finally the day came that was Ginny's last shift. It was the beginning of September, still warm out, but the customer flow had nearly stopped all together with the absence of students. Ginny, Alessa, and George had spent nearly the whole day sitting in the back room talking and eating a cake that Alessa had brought as a goodbye gift for Ginny.

"It's not like you will never see me again!" Ginny had said when Alessa presented the cake. "I invited you to the wedding next week you know, and you already said you would be there, so I'd better see you there."

"I know, I know," Alessa said smiling. "But now that I know how to use the oven in my flat I figured I may as well make a cake. And I wanted to thank you."

"What for?" Ginny asked, licking a bit of frosting off her finger after cutting the cake.

"For being a good friend and coworker. And for making me learn about muggle things," Alessa said, settling into her place on the couch with her piece of cake.

Ginny smiled. "Well I will say you're welcome if this cake tastes as good as it looks."

"Fair enough," Alessa said as George walked down the stairs from his flat.

"Oh are we celebrating finally getting rid of my annoying sister? Excellent," he said grabbing a plate of cake and sitting next to Ginny. Ginny kicked him.

"Whatever. You will be begging me to come back in a week," Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Nah. Me and Alessa here will be fine without you," George laughed. Alessa could feel that he was acting cheerful for Ginny's sake and probably for hers. She took a bite of her cake keeping her eyes down as she shifted around in the pool of emotions that slipped from George's head. The ever present depression was there, casting its darkness over the other emotions. He was sad to see Ginny leaving, but also a little relieved that he wouldn't have the constant reminder of family there. He felt guilty, probably for feeling relieved that Ginny was leaving, and also sadness that he wouldn't be going to her wedding, though he had told her he would think about it. There was also a tiredness that draped over all of that, a dark blue color in Alessa's minds eye.

"Alessa," Ginny said, shaking her shoulder.

"Oh sorry, what?" Alessa said, snapping out of her analyzing and looking up at the two red heads.

"I said, when I get back from my honeymoon we will have to have lunch once in a while," Ginny said, impatient to be repeating herself.

"Oh, yeah definitely," Alessa said. "Sorry, I'm just a little tired today. I spent all night laboring over that cake you know."

"Yeah right. You mean you got caught up in a book and stayed up all night," Ginny said, rolling her eyes again.

"Well… not all night. Just most of it," Alessa laughed. Ginny really did know her too well after almost three months of constant time spent together.

The bell over the door sounded and Alessa set down her plate to go out front. As Ginny and George also got to their feet, Alessa gestured at them to sit back down.

"Don't worry, I can handle one customer on my own. Eat your cake," she said, grinning at them.

"Yes mother," Ginny said, continuing to eat. George continued standing as he had already finished his.

"I'm actually going to go downstairs. I need to make more of that fake love potion we are low on," he said.

Alessa had come to learn that 'I'm going downstairs' was actually code for 'I don't want to talk to people today.'

She smiled anyway and nodded, holding the door open for him before going to attend to the customer.

The day passed in a flurry of laughter and conversation with Ginny.

"He's sad you are leaving you know. Even if he said he's glad," Alessa said to Ginny as they counted out the end of day coins.

"I know," Ginny said, then sighed. She looked as though she wanted to say more, but she focused on counting instead.

They were both quiet as they finished closing the shop.

"Take care of him when I'm gone," Ginny said suddenly. "Just, make sure he eats... and stuff. Please."

"I will do my best, I promise," Alessa said, then she hugged Ginny.

Alessa left the shop while Ginny went downstairs to say goodbye to George.

888

Alessa sat on her couch later that night, wondering how she could take care of George if he hardly even spoke to her. It would be a little easier if she could actually find a flat in Diagon Alley as she had planned to months ago. She had spent all summer talking to people about places to live in the Alley, but she hadn't found anything that felt right yet.

She slept fitfully that night, tossing and turning until the early hours of the morning before finally falling into a not so restful sleep. She had fallen asleep with an idea in mind and it plagued her dreams.

She had wondered for a while now if there was more to her gifts than her aunt had been able to teach her, and she got the idea that maybe, if there were a way she could keep track of George's emotions from a distance, then she would be able to keep her promise to Ginny more easily. After spending a lot of time with her great aunt over the last few years, Alessa had noticed that she just sort of knew, subconsciously, when her aunt was upset or very happy, even when they were both at their respective homes. So Alessa thought maybe she could actively try to connect to George's emotions, and then she would be able to sense him as well.

She woke early, not able to sleep any longer, and dressed for the day in muggle jeans and a shirt that Ginny had taken her shopping for. She made some strong tea and sipped through almost three cups of it before it was time to leave for the day. She grabbed her WWW apron and her cloak, in case the warm day turned colder when the sun went down. She spent the short trip to work trying to think of a way to complete her earlier idea.

She unlocked the shops front door and spent a few minutes counting through the change in the drawer before she took the bags of coins and left the shop for Gringotts. When she returned she went through the familiar motions of opening the shop, thinking hard while she walked up and down the isles with her list, marking what she needed to bring up from the basement. Alessa liked to get there a bit early sometimes, when there was a lot of things to stock, because with the shop empty she could simply summon the items from the basement to fill the shelves. Now that it was slow though, she got to work at a normal time since she would have little to do during the day besides stock shelves.

Finally, around 11, she thought she knew how she could accomplish her goal. She sat on a stool behind the counter and closed her eyes, breathing slowly to fall into her meditating state of mind. Everything in her head was stored into different compartments, as she had learned to do years ago. She spent a few moments building a new room, which she labeled simply as 'George'.

Then she took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and let it out, calming herself further as her great aunt had taught her to do when she wanted to focus her mind on something specific. She emptied her mind of all thoughts besides what she wanted to accomplish. She pushed away her own feelings, the itch of fabric on her arm, the sound of people walking by in the streets. Finally, she let her consciousness expand past her body's limits and float upward through the ceiling. After a few seconds of searching, she found George's consciousness. He was sitting at a table pushing food around a plate, head leaning on his hand, lost in thought.

Alessa hesitated, then pushed her way into his mind. She had only ever done this with her aunt who knew how to shut out anything she didn't want Alessa to see. George's thoughts were disorganized, and nothing was closed off to her. Alessa felt guilty about the intrusion into his private thoughts, but she quickly pushed that away. George was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Alessa at all, and she tried very hard to not look at anything besides what she was looking for. Finally she found the pulsing, ever changing cloud of emotion.

She thought about what to do for a few moments, then she quickly started constructing a box and shoving the different emotions into it. She left the box open, then got busy constructing another one. When she had finished, she reached into the ball of emotions she had moved and carefully separated each one from the others, then pulled off a string of each, putting it into the second box. When she had finished, she watched as the stings of emotion she had stolen spread and twined, forming an identical ball. When the two boxes held the same thing, she decided to add something of her own to the first box, just to make sure the second box would copy new emotions.

Alessa had never done this before either, so she just experimented for a few moments. Finally, she pulled a small string of contentment out of her own mind. It shined a glittery dark red in her eyes as she mixed it with George's emotions. She smiled when the second box showed a glimmer of red. Done with this part of her quest, she closed up the second box, making sure nothing could escape, then she drew herself, and the box, back into her own mind. It took mere seconds to release the emotions into the room labeled 'George'.

When Alessa opened her eyes, nearly a half hour had gone by, but she smiled, feeling Georges emotions in the back of her mind. She could also feel a small part of her mind keeping tabs on the emotions, and the reasons behind them. Surprisingly, she noticed that she could feel a small tug on her mind, in the direction George was. Her eyebrows pulled together as she thought. Did this mean she would always be able to find George? She couldn't do this with her great aunt, but maybe that was because she never tried to.

Alessa was very warm, a result of the effort she had used to form a way to keep tabs on George. She went into the back room and got herself a glass of water, then drained it quickly. She signed, looking around for something to do, then picked up her wand and set about cleaning the shop of dust and dirt as she waited for more customers.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: The Leakey Cauldron

The week leading up to Ginny's wedding flew by. Alessa kept tabs on George at all times, but he seemed to be eating enough, at least he looked healthy, and he acted how he always did. Maybe Ginny had been over reacting a bit.

Ginny's wedding was on a Monday, meaning Alessa didn't have to go into work at all that day, so she spent the day doing her laundry and reorganizing her living room that was still full of packed up boxes. At 4:30 she put on a dark blue dress and a little makeup, then used a charm to curl her hair. As she was about to leave for the Burrow, where Ginny was having the reception, a knock sounded on her door. She pulled it open to see her great aunt there.

"Aunt," Alessa said, surprised. "What brings you here? I was just getting ready to leave."

"Yes, yes, I know," her aunt said, not entering the room when Alessa moved aside to let her in. "I just came by to give you this. It's for your friend who is getting married, from our family. I figured you didn't know what to get her for a gift."

Alessa had gotten a few books she thought Ginny would like, but she really had no idea what constituted a proper wedding gift.

"Thank you so much, you are a life saver," Alessa said, taking the package from her aunt. She gathered up the gift George had asked her to bring yesterday, and then shut and locked the door, walking down the stairs with her aunt. George had also given the excuse of having a lot of brewing to do for a big order he was working on. In the back of her mind, Alessa could feel the guilt and sadness over missing the wedding radiating from George. There was something else there that was new, but Alessa didn't know what emotion that was and she didn't really have much time to focus on it right now.

"Aunt, have you ever been able to keep someones emotions in your head so you always know how they feel?" Alessa asked quietly as they reached the street and walked toward the alleyway Alessa used to apperate from. They were allowed to apparate into the entry way of the building, but it was such a small space that Alessa preferred to just use the alley.

"Hmm. Not quite," her aunt said after a moment of thinking. "I have been able to form a connection with someone, so that I know where they are, I told you about that a few years ago, I called it Tagging."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Alessa said, grinning sheepishly at her aunt.

"Now whats this about taking someone else's emotions?" Her aunt asked.

"Oh nothing," Alessa lied, not wanting her aunt to know that she had fished around in someone else's head. "It was just something I was thinking about a couple days ago." Her aunt had told her about the ability to enter someone else's mind only long enough to forbid her from ever using it, since it could be easily recognized by the other person and might lead to questions that would but her in danger. Her aunt wasn't as strict as her mother had been about not telling other people, but she still wanted the secret kept.

Her aunt squinted at her for a moment, and Alessa thought for just a second that the woman would begin lecturing her again, but she kept her mouth closed and continued on the way to the alley.

Alessa and her aunt bid farewell when they reached the alleyway, Alessa apperating to a point near the Burrow, her aunt going off to finish whatever errands she had.

"Alessa!" Ginny said excitedly, running down the pathway toward her.

"Ginny!" Alessa said, embracing the girl. "Shouldn't you be getting dressed?"

"Yeah, I was just going upstairs but I saw you through the window," Ginny explained. "Is George coming?"

"No," Alessa said, watching Ginny's smile falter a little before she fixed it back on. "He has a big order that he had to finish, but he sent this with me." Alessa handed her George's gift. "And this one is from my family."

"Family?" Ginny asked, eyebrow raised. Alessa hadn't told her she had any relatives left alive. "I didn't think you had any."

"My great aunt is Kathrine Zabini." Alessa explained.

"The Zabini's? So you are Blaise Zabini's cousin?" Ginny asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, sorta. Like second cousin or something," Alessa said, shrugging

"Well, you should have brought him, he's definitely some good eye candy!" Ginny said as they entered the kitchen. Alessa gave a snort of laughter. She had heard such things about her cousin before, mostly from when she had been in school.

"Ginny Weasley! You are getting married in less than an hour. I'd better not hear you talking about eye candy!" A plump redheaded woman snapped. Ginny grimaced at Alessa as Mrs. Weasley came marching up to the two of them.

"Sorry mum," Ginny said quickly, brushing off the glare her mother was leveling at her. "This is Alessa, the girl who works at the shop," Ginny said, introducing her. "This is my mother."

"It's nice to meet you dear," Mrs. Weasley said, hugging Alessa around the shoulders. "Ginny, get upstairs so Fleur can help you get ready, she's been looking for you." Ginny rolled her eyes, handing George's gift back to Alessa.

"Can you put those on the table outside, Alessa? I need to go be tortured by my sister-in-law," Ginny said making her way to the stairs. Alessa nodded with a chuckle then watched Mrs. Weasley herd Ginny up the stairs. Alessa wandered outside and walked around the house. She put the gifts with the pile of other ones she saw, then made her way toward the groups of people standing around in the back yard talking.

"Hello, Alessa," a soft, airy voice said from her right.

"Oh, hello Luna. How are you?" Alessa said, turning to find the blond wispy haired girl only a few feet from her. Alessa had talked to Luna a few times while they had been at school. She had always found Luna's eccentric behavior and continually calm demeanor to be relaxing.

"Oh I'm well enough," Luna said. "I didn't realize you knew the Weasley's."

"Yeah, I started working at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes at the beginning of summer, so it's a fairly new acquaintance," Alessa explained. Luna nodded as if she had expected that answer. "So, what have you been doing since you finished school?"

That question set Luna was off, explaining about her hunt for Nargles in Egypt last month, and her search for a nearly extinct breed of fresh water plimpies before that. Finally, music started playing and the guests started heading to their seats, and Alessa realized she didn't know where to sit.

"You're over here near me," Luna said serenely, seeing the confused look on Alessa's face. Alessa smiled back at her and nodded, then followed her to a bench about halfway up the isle and slid in next to her and another blond man that, judging by his eccentric clothes, had to be Luna's father.

The ceremony went by quickly, Ginny looked like she was floating down the isle, a huge smile on her face, and Alessa could feel the happiness coming from her, and everyone else in the place. Ginny and Harry had written their own vows, which made Mrs. Weasley break into tears in the front row, and finally Ginny and Harry walked back down the isle together. The crowd stood and followed the couple to a large covered area nearby where the reception was being held. In a flurry of movement, the Weasley's present and the others that were helping out cleared away all the chairs and benches and waved their wands, making the marquee spread to encompass an area big enough for a dance floor.

As the night wore on, Alessa danced with a few people, and made sure to congratulate Ginny and Harry, before she decided it was late enough to leave. All through the service she had been feeling odd, as if part of her mind was fuzzy. Now she realized that the feeling had come from the part of her mind where she kept track of George. Alessa wandered away from the crowd to the front of the house and sat on the door step. She closed her eyes, breathing slowly, and after a few moments, the hallway of her mind came into view. She walked through her mind, ignoring her own thoughts and ideas and information she had stored away, until she came to the door labeled 'George'. She opened it slowly, only to see a sickly looking greenish yellow haze engulfing everything in its path.

She could still see Georges emotions, but they were leaking all around the room, the greenish haze carrying them and expanding them. The black, thick looking smoke that Alessa associated with depression was spread over everything. She reached out a hand in front of her, waving it through the green haze. It moved apart for a second, before flooding back to the space she had just cleared. She had never seen this before, and she had no idea what it was, but she knew she needed to find George.

Alessa opened her eyes to see Luna sitting beside her.

"Oh sorry Luna, I didn't hear you come over. I'm just a bit tired tonight, I guess," Alessa said, standing up.

"That's okay. You looked worried so I followed you over here. Is everything all right?" Luna asked, tilting her head to one side to convey her curiosity.

"Yes of course," Alessa said immediately, then paused. "Well actually, I'm not really feeling well. I think I will head home early. Could you tell Ginny I said goodbye please?"

"Sure. It was nice seeing you again," Luna smiled, then she got up and walked back to the party.

Alessa watched her go, then turned to walk past the boundaries around the Burrow to apparate. She appeared behind the Leakey Cauldron and was about to tap the bricks to get into Diagon Alley, but she felt a small tug from the other direction. She put her wand away and focused on the link between her and George. Her aunt had called it a Tag, and now Alessa agreed with the term. She followed the string that became almost visible to her now that she focused on it, and it led her into the Leakey Cauldron. She looked around the dimly lit room and spotted her cousin and some of his friends sitting in a booth laughing, and a few other groups of younger people she recognized from school. Then she spotted George leaning against the counter, sipping from a drink in front of him. From the empty glasses near him, she assumed it wasn't his first drink. Now she knew what that greenish colored haze had been, George was completely drunk. Alessa walked over to him, taking the seat next to him quietly. The bartender had come for her order, left, and returned with a drink for her before George even noticed someone else had joined him.

"Lessa?" He slurred, blinking at her.

"Hello George. How are you?" Alessa asked him, acting like he wasn't drunk.

"'M fine," he mumbled, then lifted his glass to his mouth. Alessa pulled it out of his hand before he consumed any more of it, then replaced it with the glass of water she had asked for.

"I think you've had enough to drink George. You can barely stay sitting up," Alessa said softly, pushing his arm as we swayed on his stool.

George looked at her, then at the water.

"You're right. I'm wasted," he said chuckling. His voice was a little clearer as he sipped the water. When he had drained the glass, Alessa stood up.

"Come on, let's go get you something to eat," She said, grabbing his arm and pulling it over her shoulders as he stumbled. As she helped him walk toward the back door, another man approached them, one she sort of recognized from her cousins table.

"Hey babe, why don't you ditch this guy and come hang out with us?" He said, obviously drunk, but no where near as gone as George was. George was leaning heavily on her now. Alessa sighed, wishing she wasn't still wearing the dress from Ginny's wedding. If she had been wearing her normal clothes, no one would have payed any attention to her, but guys got funny ideas when girls wore dresses and high heels.

"No thank you," Alessa said politely, turning away slightly.

"Aw come on. We are a lot more fun than this guy," the man said, grabbing Alessa arm that wasn't holding up George.

"I said no," Alessa said, raising her voice. She got the attention of the other boys at his table. Blaise saw her and immediately stood up and walked over, draping an arm around his friends shoulders.

"Come on Theo, you owe us the next round," He said, dragging his friend away. "Sorry Alessa. Don't mind him, he's drunk," Blaise called back over his shoulder, smiling at her. She smiled back, then turned back to the door. She could hear the table behind her asking Blaise how he knew her, to which he responded with "From school" before they had made it all the way out the door and she could hear no more. George stumbled alongside her, not saying anything.

She tapped the brinks and watched the archway open up, then had to stop to let George throw up into the bushes near it. They made their way to the cafe next to the shop, which was thankfully still open, although it was nearly ten at night now. She helped George into a booth then went up to the counter to order him food and a coffee before going back to the table.

"George," Alessa said, shaking him awake from where he had put his head down on the table. "Are you okay George?"

"No," he said, groaning, then lifted his head up a little so that his face was slightly visible where it rested on his arm. "No, I'm pathetic. I can't even go to my own sisters wedding because I'm too scared to see my family. Ginny probably hates me now."

Alessa was quiet for a few moments as a waiter brought the food she had ordered for him.

"Here," Alessa said, pushing the plate in front of George. "Eat this, you will feel better."

She watched him eat a few fries before pushing the coffee at him. He drank some of that too and she waited until his mouth was full to begin talking again so that he couldn't interrupt her right away.

"Ginny doesn't hate you. Yes she would have been happy if you were there, but she understands that you are going through a hard time right now. And I know for a fact that your mother was taking pictures the whole time, so if you want to see the wedding later, you can," she said, watching him as he chewed. His face was down, staring at his food, so she couldn't see his reaction to her words, and his emotions were all jumbled up from the alcohol.

George lifted his head, finally looking at her. His eyes were bloodshot and he swayed a little in his seat.

"Ginny doesn't hate me for not going?" He asked, sounding like a tentative child.

"Of course she doesn't," Alessa said as she brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes which promptly fell back in her face. She gave up on keeping her hair back and quickly braided it into it's normal style as she talked. "She's your family. She loves no matter what you do or don't do, George."

He looked at her for a moment, then returned to eating, a little quicker than before.

"You must think I'm pathetic," he said, still slurring some words.

"Why would I think that?" Alessa said, stealing a fry off his plate.

"I'm a mess," George explained, draining his coffee.

Alessa asked the waiter for a refill and waited until he had left before saying, "Everyone is a mess at times. No one is perfect." They fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments.

"You know why there are no mirrors in the bathroom at the shop?" George asked suddenly.

"Why?" Alessa prompted. She had noticed that, but hadn't thought much about it.

"I can't look in the mirror. I haven't looked in a mirror in years. Because I'll see Fred if I do. It was my fault he died you know. I practically killed him. I should have done something," George said, a few tears leaking out of his eyes. He wiped his face and laughed bitterly, then he whispered "I could have done something. It should have been me who died."

"George," Alessa said softly. Ginny had told her the situation, but she had left out most of the details. "It wasn't your fault George."

He looked at her, then he stood up and left the Cafe hurriedly. Alessa pulled some coins out of her purse and ran after him. She caught up to him as he was trying to unlock the shop door with shaky hands.

Alessa reached past him with her key when he dropped his and opened the door for him. He pushed past her and into the back room. Alessa picked up his dropped keys and followed after him, making sure the door was shut behind her. George had collapsed on the small sofa that was in the back room and he was sobbing loudly. Alessa dropped her things on the floor and went to sit by him. When she sat down, he turned his face into her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her middle, sobbing into her hair. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder and held him while he cried himself out.

She could feel the overwhelming emotions leaking from him and decided to try something new. She focused on her memories and pulled up one from when she was younger and another child had pushed her down and she had skinned her knee. She had run straight to her mother and cried, and her mother had comforted her until she stopped crying, then bandaged her knee. Alessa pulled that feeling of comfort from her memory and pushed it through herself to settle over George. She watched in her minds eye as the deep brown color soaked into George. His intense sobbing slowed, and after nearly ten minutes, his breathing started to slow and his tears dried. Alessa had been rubbing his back while he'd cried, and now she smoothed down his hair, much as her mother had done to her when she had been upset as a child. Eventually, Alessa came to realize that he had fallen asleep against her. She leaned him back against the couch and stood. She dried his face with the sleeve of her dress, then gathered the couch pillows at one end andleaned George down onto them, making sure his head was turned in case he threw up in his sleep as drunk people often did. She pulled off his shoes before lifting his legs up onto the other end of the couch. She hesitated, then grabbed his keys and walked up the stairs to his flat in search of some blankets. She found them in his bedroom, grabbing the one off his bed and a couple throw blankets off the sofa in his living room, then walked back down the stairs, careful in the relative darkness.

When she brought the blankets back down, he was snoring lightly. She draped the blanket from his bed over him, making sure it covered his feet, then she kicked off her own shoes and settled into the arm chair across the room. She didn't want to leave him by himself in case he woke up and freaked out again, so she made herself as comfortable as she could in the dress she was wearing, curling her feet under her, then draping a throw blanket over her legs and leaning back in the chair. Since George was asleep and would never know, she sent him another cloud of comfort, and this time she mixed some calm and contentment into it. Then she closed her eyes and slept.

* * *

Alessa woke sometime in the early morning hours, judging by the pale light coming in the window. George was still sleeping on the couch, curled into a ball facing the back of the couch. Alessa stretched her legs in front of her and stretched her arms up, yawning. Her back popped loudly as she stood up. She figured it would be a while before George woke up, so she decided to go home and change into something more suitable for work. She slipped on her shoes and grabbed her purse, then walked out the door, making sure to lock it behind her.

Halfway down the street she heard her phone beep at her, so she fished it out of her purse as she walked.

Ginny had texted her last night, to say thank you for the beautiful necklace and to hope she feels better. Alessa smiled. Her aunt had an excellent taste in jewelry, she should have guessed thats what the gift had been.

Alessa hurried home, showered and changed, and was back in Diagon Alley within twenty minutes. It was a bit too early to start opening the shop, but she had nothing else to do, so she unlocked the door and went to count the change as quietly as possible as to not wake George. By the time nine thirty rolled around, Alessa had already gone to the bank and was nearly done stocking the shelves for the day. She decided to run next door and get some breakfast and coffee before flipping the sign to open and pulling up the shades on the windows. She had ordered some extra food for George when he woke up, so she put it on the table in the employee room, waving her wand to ensure that it would stay warm, then she went back out front to eat her own food.

The morning dragged by, but there was a steady flow of customers to keep Alessa's mind occupied. Finally, around one, she sensed George waking up. Since the store was empty now, she walked back to the employee room.

George was sitting up, and when he heard her come into the room he lifted his head. Alessa gasped in surprise. His face was sunken and there were dark circles under his eyes.

"George, you look awful," She said, walking over to sit on the chair she had slept in last night.

"I know. Sorry," he said, looking at the floor. "I didn't want anyone to worry, so I've been using glamour charms every morning."

Alessa smiled a little at him. "Well that must have been a pretty good charm to not come off when you were drunk last night."

He looked up at her then. "You know I was drunk?"

"I walked you home. You could barely stand," she said, reminding him.

"Oh," he said, putting his head in his hands. Then a few moments later, he said "Oh. I remember. Shit. I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have heard all of that."

"It's okay. You are hurting, and you shouldn't hurt alone," Alessa said, smiling a little at him. "Oh, here," she reached into her purse, pulling out a dark green potion and setting it on the table. "Hangover remedy," she explained when he looked questionably at her. She had stopped at the apothecary earlier and purchased it, assuming he would need it.

"Thanks," George said, throwing his head back and draining the vial. He looked a little better after that.

"I got you some breakfast, and coffee too," Alessa said, nodding towards the food on the table.

George's eyebrows pulled together in confusion, and Alessa waited for him to say something.

"Why are you taking care of me. You hardly even know me," he said, picking up the coffee mug and sitting back against the couch.

Alessa smiled. Not wanting to tell the truth she just shrugged. "Well I've always wanted a little brother to take care of."

George finally cracked a smile at that.

"I'm older than you are," he pointed out.

"Only by a year. Besides, you act younger."

"I do not!" He said indignantly. The bell rang as someone opened the front door.

"Whatever you say. Now eat your vegetables," Alessa said grinning, as she stood to go back out into the shop. She heard George chuckle behind her. She sat at the counter waiting for the customer who had entered to finish looking around. Last night when she had figured out how to give emotions to other people, she had started thinking of a more desecrate way to do it, so that no one would notice a sudden change. She decided to try sending little ropes of positive emotion along the Tag line she had on George. It didn't take a lot of focus to just nudge along small bits of comfort and contentment, so she didn't zone out while doing so, but she did miss the customer walking back up to the counter.

They snapped their fingers in front of her face once to get her attention and she jumped.

"Zoning out on the job, Alessa?" he asked, laughing at her.

"Blaise," she responded as a greeting, wondering what he was doing there. "Sorry, I'm just tired. Uh, why are you here?"

"Grandma sent me," he said, shrugging as though it wasn't really important.

"What for?" Alessa asked, a little worried. She knew from his easy going attitude at the moment that it wasn't something terrible, but she hadn't really spent enough time around Blaise to read him easily.

"I don't know. She said I needed to get out of the house and start spending time with you, since you are family. She gave me a long speech about it, so I figured it was easier to listen to her than argue," he shrugged, picking up a rock shaped item from the counter and turning it over in his hands.

"I wouldn't hold onto that for too long," Alessa said in warning.

"Why not?" Blaise asked, then yelped as the rock sent a jolt of electricity through his hand. Alessa laughed as he dropped the rock back onto the counter with a small bang. "So, do you get a lunch break or something?"

"Oh, not really. I usually eat lunch here," Alessa said as George walked out from the back room. He had gone upstairs to change into clothes that weren't rumpled from a night on the couch, and he had evidently cast a glamour charm again, since Alessa couldn't see the dark circles under his eyes anymore.

"Got a date here, Alessa? I suppose you can go out for lunch today if you want to, it's slow enough," George said, grinning at her teasingly. If she hadn't been able to feel the dark cloud of depression coming off him, she might have thought that he was over his guilt of missing Ginny's wedding. The darkness was more prominent today though, and there wasn't a single other thread of emotion that she could pull from him.

"He's not my date," Alessa said at the same time Blaise said "She's my cousin."

George laughed at them. "Either way, I can deal with customers for an hour if you want to go."

"Sure," Alessa said, "I just need my purse." She ducked into the back room to grab it, then walked around the counter to join Blaise.

"Bring her back in one piece, Zabini," George called as the led the shop. Alessa chuckled as the walked out into the street

"I didn't think he knew who I was," Blaise said, tucking his hands into his pocked as the went next door. "That's weird."

"What is?" Alessa asked, keeping pace with him.

"He was being nice even though he knew who I was," Blaise explained. "I kinda figured he wouldn't like me."

"George likes everybody as long as they aren't trying to kill him," Alessa said, laughing.

"Well we weren't exactly friends in school. And I made fun of his brother constantly. I didn't expect him to have forgotten that."

"He probably remembers, but he's very forgiving, all the Weasley's are," Alessa said. They walked into the cafe in silence. Alessa wasn't sure if she had ever been alone with Blaise. He had come to lunch with her aunt a few times before, but they didn't really talk much.

"I also wanted to make sure you weren't bothered by Theo last night," Blaise said as they walked to a booth and sat down. "He can be a bit pushy when he's been drinking, but he really isn't a bad guy."

"No, I'm fine, I'm sure he's nice enough when he's not drunk," Alessa said. She had completely forgotten about that interaction after the half minute he had talked to her.

They ordered their food and waited in silence, but it wasn't awkward. Blaise had a very friendly personality, Alessa could feel the easy going attitude pouring from him, and it made her more comfortable to know he didn't mind spending time with her.

They ate their food slowly, making light conversation, and when they were done, they parted ways. Alessa smiled to herself, glad she was getting along with Blaise. He was one of her only remaining family members after all.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of customers, cleaning, and counting out change. George stayed in the shop the whole shift, sitting behind the counter to talk to Alessa when there was nothing else to do.

At the end of the night she closed up the shop with George, not talking. Finally she was ready to leave, and she turned to George.

"Are you going to be okay tonight?" She asked in a soft voice.

"I'll be fine," George said, waving away the seriousness of the conversation with a smile. "I promise not to go out drinking." He held up his right hand to swear it. Alessa smiled back, then left the shop to go home.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Drinking Again

Alessa's ringing cell phone woke her with a start. She groped on her night stand for it, then answered it without opening her eyes, clearing her throat to make her voice understandable.

"Hello?" She asked, trying not to yawn.

"Alessaaaaaa, lets go out." Of course it was Ginny. No one else ever called her, let alone this early in the day.

"Ginny, it's like six in the morning. And I work today." It had been about a month since Ginny's wedding, and Alessa had been turning down all of Ginny's offers to go out, making up endless excuses. She didn't want to go out and drink because she was worried about losing her control over her emotions and accidentally sending them to George. She had been out drinking before in the past, but never when she had an open emotional connection to someone, and she had no idea how alcohol would affect that. She had been sending George comfort as often as she thought she could get away with it for the last month, and he seemed to be doing a bit better, for the most part. He was in the shop nearly every day, preferring to sit in the employee room with her than hide in his flat or in the basement. And she made sure he ate lunch and dinner every day. She didn't want to mess up that progress by accidentally revealing to him that she was giving him emotions, though she was doing so very seldom now.

"Not right now, stupid. I meant tonight. My friend Luna has been making eyes at Harry's friend Neville for months now and I want to hook them up," Ginny explained.

"Weeeeeell," Alessa said, drawing out the word to show her reluctance, though it would be nice to hang out with Ginny for more than a few minutes at a time.

"Please? You haven't gone out with me in forever," Ginny begged, whining into the phone. Alessa could feel her resolve crumbling.

"Okay fine. But I'm not drinking," Alessa said, giving in.

"Yay! There's a new bar that opened in Diagon Alley. It's much nicer than the Leakey Cauldron, so I hear. We have to go," Ginny said excitedly. "I'll meet you when you get off work and you can come get ready at my place. I have the perfect outfit for you."

Alessa rolled her eyes before agreeing. Ginny's version of the 'perfect outfit' was definitely not Alessa's version. Usually that phrase meant they were going somewhere new and were going to dress like sluts for the fun of it, though she had said Diagon Alley, so maybe the outfits would be better.

"Oh, by the way, it's 9:45, not six. Didn't you say you had to work today?" Ginny said, and Alessa could practically hear the smirk.

"Shit!" Alessa said, jumping out of bed and promptly falling on the floor with a bang. "I'll talk to you later Ginny."

"Bye," Ginny said laughing. Alessa hung up the phone, double checking the time in case this was Ginny's idea of a joke, but the large numbers indicating time agreed with her red haired friend. She wasn't sure how she could have slept in so late. She hadn't gone to bed particularly late, and the sun was shining brightly, which usually is what woke her up in the morning, since it warmed her feet past the point of comfort around eight in the morning, forcing her to get up. She really had no excuse this time.

Alessa showered and dressed in record time, grabbing her cloak and apron as she walked out the door, only to have to run back in to grab her wand and purse.

She arrived at the shop right at ten, flipping the sign to open behind her as she flung the door open. She pulled the drapes up before running to the back to drop off her things.

"You know, I hear those cloaks work better if you actually put them on," George said, leaning against the door frame, watching her run around.

"I'm sorry I'm late! I overslept," Alessa said, dropping her things onto the couch then rushing back past George to count the till.

"I know," George laughed. "Ginny called me to let me know. I was just coming down to unlock the door when you ran in, right past me by the way."

"Sorry," Alessa said, ducking her head. "I didn't see you." Being late always made her feel like she had to rush to catch up for the rest of the day.

"It's okay if you are late once in awhile, I won't fire you or anything," George said. "Just call and let me know."

"I know, I just hate it," Alessa said, finishing the counting. She didn't need to go to the bank that morning, so she wasn't actually behind on anything.

"Well, I'll be in back if you need anything," George said before disappearing behind the door. He poked his head back through a moment later to keep talking. "So Ginny tells me you are going out tonight? Don't trust her. She's been begging me to go out for weeks, she really just wants to get drunk."

"I know," Alessa said, laughing as she started running through the list of things that needed to be stocked. "I'm good at taking care of drunk people though."

"That you are," George said, then disappeared. This time Alessa stuck her head through the door to continue the conversation.

"Are you coming with us tonight?" She asked out of courtesy. She had never seen him go anywhere besides the bank and the grocery store, especially not somewhere with so many other people, but it felt rude not to invite him along.

"Probably not," George said, then smiled grimly. "Me and alcohol don't get along very well, I've found."

"Well you don't have to drink. I won't be drinking either. And I'm sure Ginny would like to see you. She hasn't been here since before the wedding," Alessa said, leaning in his previous spot against the door frame as she talked.

"I'll think about it," George said, ending the conversation and Alessa nodded then disappeared back to the front of the shop, shrugging to herself. It would be good for him to get out and socialize, but she wasn't going to bother him about it if he wasn't ready.

She had stocked all the shelves and gotten lunch before they had any customers. The afternoon picked up a little bit which helped the time to pass faster. Finally, Alessa counted down the drawer and closed the store. Ginny walked in the door five minutes later.

George came through the back door as Ginny came in.

"George, you should come with us tonight. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever," Ginny said after hugging her brother, then Alessa, distracting the girl from her counting.

"Okay, sure," he said, which shocked both Ginny and Alessa. Alessa had been almost positive he would say no. Ginny recovered from her surprise first, grinning.

"Great! We are meeting at that new place right down the road. We'll be there in an hour," Ginny said, dragging Alessa out the door as soon as she had finished counting down the till. Alessa waved goodbye to George as she was dragged from the shop.

The girls rushed back to the house Ginny shared with Harry, Alessa letting Ginny apparate them since she wasn't sure where they were going. Ginny towed Alessa along behind her all the way up the stairs and into her bedroom.

"Here," Ginny said, forcing a small bundle of fabric at Alessa, then pushing her into the bathroom across the hall. "Go change quickly. We have to do your hair and makeup and we don't have very long before we are meeting the others."

"Ginny, it's just a bar, why do I have to dress up?" Alessa complained though the half open door as she stripped off her work clothes. She unfolded the ones Ginny had given her and shuddered in distaste. "I am not wearing these."

"Oh come on," Ginny called from the other side of the hall where she too was getting dressed. "I picked them out specifically for you. You have to wear them."

"Fine, but I'm not wearing heels," Alessa called, knowing it was pointless to argue with Ginny when she had her mind made up. She tugged the tight shorts up her legs and fixed the button, then held out the shirt, if it could be called that, and frowned.

"Ginny, this shirt is practically see through and I don't have anything to go under it," she called, pushing the door open further and walking back into the bedroom. Ginny looked at her for a minute, frowning in thought.

"Just wear it over your bra, it'll be fine," Ginny said, shrugging as she pulled on the rest of her own outfit, which wasn't much more concealing than Alessa's was.

"I am not wearing a see through shirt out to a bar. That's asking for trouble," Alessa protested, frowning. Even if it was a magical establishment, wizard men weren't any better than muggle men when they had alcohol and saw a woman with exposed flesh.

"Fine," Ginny said, then turned to her dresser, yanked open a drawer and fished around for a moment. She drew out a neon green sports bra. "Wear that under it. It covers enough to be decent."

"Nothing about this outfit is decent, Ginny," Alessa sighed, then put the sports bra and shirt on over her plain black bra and looked in the mirror. "I look like a slut," she complained, trying to tug the hem of her shorts lower.

"Not yet, but that is the goal," Ginny said smirking as she spread out different makeup containers across her dresser, picking out the ones she wanted to use.

"And why is that a goal anyone should have?" Alessa asked, turning sideways in the mirror and frowning at how much of her skin was showing. It was bound to be chilly out, since it was early October, but Alessa knew if she used that as an excuse, Ginny would just say that was what warming charms were used for.

"Because it will make Neville uncomfortable and then he will be forced to talk to Luna, since she will be the only girl there not dressed like a slut," Ginny said, smirking as she pulled the cropped shirt she was wearing into its proper position, leaving the girls toned stomach exposed. Ginny was quite fit from spending most of her free time getting ready for quidditch tryouts, which were either this week or last week, Alessa couldn't remember.

"Wow Ginny, you are so conniving. Are you sure you weren't in Slytherin?" Alessa asked, laughing. Ginny's plan would work in theory, but Alessa was pretty sure that making Neville talk to Luna because he was uncomfortable would not happen. He would be more likely to talk to whoever else was there that he already knew.

"No way. I just like to look slutty, I'm not actually a slut," Ginny complained, pushing Alessa down in front of the mirror and makeup counter.

"Not all the Slytherin's were that bad you know," Alessa said, feeling the need to defend her cousin a bit, though she didn't really know anyone else from that house to form an accurate opinion about them.

"I know, I know, I was just kidding," Ginny said airily. "Now stop talking so I can do your make up."

Ginny tortured her for almost half an hour, most of which was spent tugging at her hair before she gave up and used a charm to straighten it. Alessa's hair wasn't exactly overly curly, but it was wavy enough that if she didn't keep it back in it's usual braid, it took work to make it presentable.

"It just looks better when you use the muggle way," Ginny said, frowning at Alessa's now pin straight hair. Finally she stood back admiring her work. "Okay you're done."

"Great. Ginny, we only have ten minutes before we need to be at the bar and I don't know how to do makeup and hair," Alessa said, looking at Ginny who had only gotten as far as pulling on a short black skirt and a bright red short shirt that was far too tight and low-cut for casual wear, revealing most of her stomach as well.

"That's fine, I can be ready in five minutes. I'm a professional at getting up late and having to hurry," Ginny said, pulling out different things from her make up bag. Alessa watched her brush different things onto her face in a flurry and then use her wand to put a little curl into her hair. Finally she put on a bright red lipstick that matched her shirt and suddenly, Ginny was dragging Alessa out the door and down the stairs, not bothering to clean up the mess they had left on the dresser.

They got to the bar with a few minutes to spare and Ginny pulled her inside and right up to the bar to order a drink. The bartender got their drinks immediately even though the bar was quite crowded, and he winked at them as they handed him some coins for the drinks. They wound through the crowd, Ginny's hand clasped in Alessa's. She didn't want to lose the only person she knew here in this crowd, figuring she probably wouldn't find her again.

Finally Ginny pulled her to a less crowded corner and stopped moving, making Alessa nearly run into her shorter friends back.

"Hey Luna! You look great," Ginny said, hugging the smaller blond girl tightly.

"Hello Luna," Alessa said, surprised when Luna hugged her as well.

"Hi. I'm glad you are here. Look over there," Luna said, pointing towards the ceiling about ten feet from them.

"What are we looking at?" Ginny asked after a moment of scanning over the heads of the other people there.

"Nargles. There are a lot of them here tonight. Be careful, they like to sneak into your ears and cloud your mind." Luna said, dropping the arm she had used to point.

"Come on Luna, don't worry about any Nargles tonight. We are here to have fun, remember?" Ginny said, repressing a grin. Then she spotted someone else she knew and wandered off into the group.

"Well" Alessa said, watching the dancing people on the floor. "What should we do since our hostess has decided to wander off?"

"I'd say we should dance, but I think I need a few more drinks first," Luna said, flashing a grin.

Alessa looked at her in shock. She had never imagined Luna drinking, or dancing. Or in a bar doubling as a club for that matter, though the blonde looked comfortable in this atmosphere, as though she had been in similar places before. Alessa wasn't sure if that proved anything though, since Luna was comfortable in most places.

Luna laughed at her expression. "I do go out sometimes you know. It's fun to see everyone else let loose once in awhile." Alessa laughed with her, then watched as Ginny made her way back towards them.

"Come on you two, the boys are outside." Ginny grabbed Alessa's wrist again, and Alessa grabbed Luna's. The three stopped beside a wide sliding glass door leading out to a less occupied area of tables.

"Ginny, it's freezing out and I didn't bring a cloak," Alessa said, tugging out of Ginny's grip and dropping Luna's wrist as well.

"It's fine, the back is enchanted to stay warm and keep out bugs and things. You'll be fine, stop complaining," Ginny said, sliding the door open. The three girls walked through the door and as soon as Ginny pushed it shut, they could no longer hear the loud booming music from inside. Instead they heard softer still upbeat music playing from somewhere nearby. Ginny led them over to a table that not only contained George and Neville, but also Harry, Ron, Hermione, and two other girls that Alessa didn't know, but recognized a bit.

"Alessa, this is Katie Bell, and Angelina Johnson, and Neville Longbottom, guys, this is Alessa Sarati," Ginny introduced.

Alessa waved to them, then sat down on the other side of George, since he was the only other person there she had spoken to for any length of time.

She sipped her drink listening to the conversations around her for a while. Ginny had not so slyly pushed Luna into the seat beside Neville, then gone to sit with Katie and Angelina. The girls were talking about Ginny's upcoming Quiddich tryouts while Ron and Harry were talking about something the Aurors were working on at the Ministry. Luna and Neville started up a discussion about some sort of creature that Alessa had never heard of, and George looked like he was listening to them, but one hand gripped his glass tightly, and the other was balled into a fist on his lap. When Alessa looked closer, she noticed that he was shaking a little, and she realized that this was probably the first time in years that he had seen his brother Ron and the others, which was bound to lead to some sort of uncomfortableness.

She scooted her chair closer and leaned into him so the others wouldn't hear her. "Are you okay?" She whispered.

George started, then glanced at her, then the table. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a bit unused to… this," he said, gesturing a little at the table. Alessa could feel how uncomfortable he was here in this setting, and she sent him a small cloud of comfort, and watched his hands unclench as he calmed down a little. The two had spent a lot of time together at work over the last month, and they had become close enough friends and Alessa could read his face without having to feel his emotions. So now she knew that he really didn't want to be here. He finished off his drink and set his glass on the table.

"You don't have to stay you know. I'm sure everyone would be okay if you left," Alessa said, gipping his hand in hers as a comfort.

"I know, but I'm trying to get used to this again. Besides, you asked me to come," he said, looking at the table. Alessa waited for the joking smile that usually accompanied such comments, but it didn't come. Instead she could see the back of his neck turning red and felt the wave of embarrassment rolling through their link in her mind. She watched him for a second, then smiled and drained her glass.

"Come on, lets go get more drinks," she said, pulling him out of his seat. He followed her back inside the main part of the building and up to the bar where they grabbed two empty seats. His grip on her hand tightened at the amount of people in this part of the bar.

"Let's do shots," Ginny called from behind them, having followed them in without Alessa noticing.

"Ginny, I told you I'm not drinking that much tonight," Alessa said as Ginny pushed her way between them and leaned against the counter.

"Come on Alessa! Have some fun. I didn't dress you like that for nothing. You need to go out and find a guy tonight. You need a man," Ginny said, smirking at Alessa as she blushed a deep red color.

"Fine, I'll do one shot, but I'm not finding a guy, and you aren't allowed to hook me up with anyone," Alessa said as Ginny grinned and waved the bartender over to them to order their shots. Ginny didn't assent to the bargain, but with the rate the red head was going, she would be too drunk to remember later anyway.

Ginny counted the three of them down and they all threw back their shots at the same time. Alessa made a face at the taste.

"What the hell was that, Ginny? I was expecting Firewhiskey," George said, putting his shot glass back down with a clink.

"That was Firewhiskey," Ginny said, smirking up at him. "And also a muggle drink called Everclear. That shot will have you fucked up in five minutes."

"Ginny," Alessa groaned, feeling the drink burn down her throat and her stomach. "What part of 'I don't want to get drunk' don't you understand?"

"Oh loosen up. You never get wasted when we go out," Ginny complained, waving the bartender back over to refill the tiny shot glasses.

"That's for a good reason, Ginny," Alessa said, but her mind was starting to get a little fuzzy around the edges. Ginny spoke to the bartender for a few seconds, than he left and returned with a tray with ten or so shot glasses on it along with a pitcher of ale and some cups for that, and a bottle of Firewhiskey that Alessa suspected was mixed with Everclear.

"Come on," Ginny told them, then she started walking back through the crowd. George and Alessa looked at each other for a moment.

"We could just leave and go home before she tries to get us more drunk," George suggested, glancing after his sister.

"She would be pissed if I left now. I've been procrastinating going out with her for a month," Alessa admitted. George laughed then grabbed her hand and pulled her back across the room. The skin George's hand touched felt like it was on fire. Alessa blamed it on the shot she had taken, which was now making it a little difficult to think clearly.

Back at the table, Ginny had poured shots for everyone there, including George and Alessa who returned to their seats in time for Ginny to count down for the others. Alessa didn't take the second shot with the others, and she noticed that George and Neville hadn't either.

"Come on you guys!" Ginny exclaimed spotting the unconsumed drinks in front of them. "Have some fun. Let loose."

George shrugged and threw back his shot, then turned to watch Neville do the same.

"Come on Alessa, your turn," Ginny said, and with everyone at the table watching her, she shrugged and figured one more wouldn't hurt. Ginny cheered when she sat her glass back down.

The table got progressively louder as the night wore on and more alcohol was consumed. Though Alessa had tried to stay away from the stronger stuff, preferring to just sip on a cup of ale instead, Ginny had forced a couple more shots on her. After an hour, people started disappearing onto the dance floor or home, and Alessa couldn't remember why she didn't want to get drunk. She had consumed three more shots over the last hour, and her mind was delightfully foggy as Ginny dragged her to the dance floor. After five minutes, Harry joined them, pulling Ginny away to dance with him. Alessa shrugged and turned to find someone else to dance with, settling for the first guy she found. She pulled the stranger to her, wrapping her arms around his neck as she danced to the loud music.

It wasn't until she felt the fresh air on her face that Alessa realized she had been led outside. The cold cleared her mind enough to see that she didn't know who she was with now. She turned to the guy who had his arm wrapped around her waist.

"Where are we going?" She tried to ask, but it came out slurred beyond understanding.

"Come on, babe, lets go back to my place and have some fun," the guy said, pulling her away from the building.

"No, no, my friends will be looking for me," Alessa said, a little clearer as she tried to pull away from him, stumbling in the process.

He wrapped his arm tighter around her and she started to panic.

"Let go," she yelled still trying to pull away as she groped for her wand, not remembering that it was tucked into her purse, which was still at the table out back.

"Aw come on babe, don't be like that," he said, pulling her in and trying to kiss her face. She used her free arm to slap him across the face. He backed up, holding his nose, which had started to bleed.

"You bitch," he growled, walking back toward her and trying to grab her arm. Her mind became slightly clearer at the danger, and she waited until he was close enough, then brought her knee up between his legs. When he bent over she hit him as hard as she could on the back of the neck and he fell to the ground. Alessa leaned, panting, against the building next to the bar. The guy recovered, but he didn't come after her again, preferring to run the other direction down the street rather than fight someone who was stronger than she looked. Alessa let herself fall against the building and wrapped her arms around her knees, drawing in a shuddering breath as she tried to calm down. Now that the adrenalin had worn off, and she was slightly more sober, she realized just how cold it was outside. Tears had been falling down her face quickly, without her noticing, but now they slowed as she breathed slowly. Her mind was still fuzzy, but it was no longer a delightful fuzzy, rather, she felt like she was trying to wade through deep water to form a thought.

Footsteps approached her from her right and thinking that the man had returned, she jumped up to face him, fists held up in a ready stance in front of her. It was George though, and he held his hands up as if approaching a wild animal. She put her hands down as he took a tentative step forward.

"Alessa?" He asked, coming closer to her. "Are you okay?"

She opened her mouth, but instead of words, she started to sob instead. She started to lean forward, but George caught her before she fell. She cried into his chest, a sense of deja vu coming to mind as he smoothed her hair down and hugged her, trying to get her to calm down.

"I'm sorry, George," she said into his shirt after a few moments.

"Don't apologize, it's fine. Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He asked, holding her away from him a bit so he could look her over for injury.

"I'm okay, it's fine," she said, wiping the tears off her face and trying to fix the disaster she knew her makeup would be by now without looking in a mirror. The fog in her mind was starting to pull back a little. Enough for her to wonder how George had found her, since she hadn't told anyone she knew where she was going.

"How did you know where I was?" She asked, wiping under her eyes and glancing at her fingers to make sure there was no more makeup on her face.

"I don't know exactly," he began slowly. "I was at the bar talking to Harry, I didn't even see you leave. But all of a sudden I felt really panicked and before I knew it I was out here. I saw the end out your show, nice job by the way, that guy definitely won't bother you anymore," he said, trying to lure a smile out of her. She was panicking again though, and didn't even listen to the end of his sentence. She must have pulled him out here by shoving panic through their link without meaning to. She closed her eyes and pushed her way into her mind, looking for the door that she kept George's emotions behind. She ran in and started grabbing anything she could find, shoving it all into the box she had brought them here in, and then closing the box when she had gotten them all, ensuring that no more of her emotions would leak into them. She opened her eyes to see George's face right in front of hers.

"What did you just do?" He asked, watching her face closely. "You just… did something, and I don't feel panicked at all anymore. What did you do?"

She felt her panic building again as she watched his face not knowing what to say. A few tears leaked from her eyes again.

"No, don't cry again, forget I asked," George said taking a step back and running a hand through his hair. "Can you apparate home?"

She shook her head, knowing she was far to drunk to do it safely. He sighed, looping an arm underneath hers to keep her standing as she swayed again.

"Come on, I have a spare room in my flat that you can use tonight. We can talk in the morning," he said with a look, letting her know he wouldn't drop the subject that easily.

She nodded a bit, looking at the ground in shame. She should have known better than to get so drunk. George put a hand under her chin and lifted her face up.

"Whatever it is, I won't be mad, I promise," he said, staring at her so she knew he was serious.

They walked to the shop in silence, Alessa making it most of the way without stumbling, thanks to George's supporting arm. Alessa was wondering what she could say without giving anything away, but she couldn't come up with a story as her mind was still swimming a little.

In George's flat, Alessa kicked off her shoes by the door. She was shivering from the walk there, thoroughly chilled by her lack of warm clothes. George wandered around the flat, turning on the kettle and gathering the necessary items to make tea. Then he wandered into his room and came pack out with some sweatpants and a t-shirt, which he handed to Alessa, who had been standing by the door, close to the wall, still a little unsteady on her feet.

"The bathroom is down the hall on the left. You can sleep in those since your clothes don't look very comfortable," he said, turning away from her, but not before she could see a light blush spread across his face. She laughed a bit at his reaction and he turned back toward her wondering what she was laughing at, then he blushed harder.

"Ginny wanted us to look, as she puts it, 'slutty', so that we would make Neville uncomfortable and he would have to talk to Luna instead. That was the whole point of tonight," Alessa explained, walking across the room a little more slowly than she normally would have done.

"Well then she will be glad to know that before I left they were doing more than just talking," George said, pouring the boiling water into two mugs. Alessa laughed again, then turned to go to the bathroom to change. The clothes George had give her were many sizes too large, she tied the sweat pants tightly and rolled up the bottoms of them so she could walk without tripping. The t shirt fell halfway down her thighs and the neck draped over one of her small shoulders.

George laughed loudly at her when she came out of the bathroom, tugging the shirt up where it was supposed to be.

"I'm sorry," he said, smothering another laugh. "I don't have anything smaller. I don't exactly have visitors often."

Alessa stuck her tongue out at him instead of responding, then went to grab the mug of tea he had poured her and sat next to him on the sofa. As she sipped the tea, Alessa could feel her mind clearing bit by bit. After another trip to the kettle to pour more tea, George brought up the dreaded subject again.

"So… what was going on tonight?" he asked, not looking toward her. She hadn't though of a better story, but she had decided she could trust George. Or at least, she had to now, since she had no other explanation and the thought of lying to him was abhorrent to her.

She didn't tell him everything, just the general idea. And she made it sound like something she had learned, not a genetic gift. She wasn't sure how much he believed her. When she finished explaining, she leaned back against the arm of the couch, her legs crossed in front of her and watched his face. He had leaned back against the couch and his eyebrows were pulled together as he thought.

"So, you went into my mind?" He finally asked, his voice not betraying any of his thoughts.

"Um… sort of," Alessa said, glancing down at her lap. "I didn't look at anything though, I swear. I just pulled some of your emotions into my mind so I could keep track of you…" she trailed off, realizing how weird she sounded.

"And you give me your emotions back?" he asked, choosing not to comment on that for now.

"No, it's not supposed to work that way, it's just because I was drunk, I think, and scared," she explained, still looking down into her lap.

"But haven't you been giving me your emotions for weeks now? That's why I have felt so comfortable around you isn't it?" He asked, frowning in thought again as he tried to recall the last few months.

"Oh… maybe? I hadn't thought of that. I was just trying to make you not as sad," she said quietly, looking down into her empty cup.

"So not all of the things I feel are actually mine," he said, sinking back into the couch again.

"Everything except the feeling more comfortable part was," Alessa said, defending herself a little. "I would never make you feel something that would make you do anything, I swear."

"But you did. Would I be so comfortable around you now, if you hadn't been sending me comfort all along?" He asked, standing up to pace the room.

"I… I didn't meant to do that. They weren't strong emotions I was sending you," Alessa whispered, feeling ashamed. "I was just sending you little bits of it every once in a while. I promised Ginny I'd make sure you kept eating and stuff when she left, she was worried about you, and making you comfortable seemed like it was helping you get better."

"It did. I've been sleeping much better recently. Was that you too? Were you making me sleep?" He asked, still pacing.

"No!" Alessa said, getting to her feet in a mostly steady manner. "I wouldn't do that, I don't even know how to make someone sleep. It would be dangerous to try, what if I did something wrong and I couldn't wake you up? What if I got stuck in your mind when I put you to sleep? Sleep and emotions are very different, I would never mess with something like that if I didn't know exactly what to do," she shut her mouth, realizing she was ranting a bit. She didn't want him to make her leave. Everything in her head was pulling her to stay here, like she needed to be exactly where she was at the moment.

George stopped pacing in front of her and watched her for a minute, then his face softened a little.

"I didn't mean to blame you, it's just a lot to take in right now," George said softly, and she relaxed a little. "I don't know if I'm comfortable with you keeping tabs on my emotions."

"I can give them back, but I can't stop from noticing them when I'm near you. I don't know how to shut that off, it just happens," she said sitting back down on the couch. He sat beside her.

"Well I think that would be the best thing for right now," George said, thinking again.

"If I spend a lot of time around you, the long distance emotions will happen anyway," she warned. "I can't do anything to keep them out either. George nodded, then sat down, leaning against the back of the couch.

"Um, to put your emotions back I will need to go back in your mind," Alessa explained warily.

"Oh," he said, obviously uncomfortable with that idea. "Can I be there too or does it not work that way?" He asked after a moment.

"You can be there, but it's a bit difficult to do at first," Alessa said. "I can try to teach you though." She went on to explain how to breath and focus his mind and empty it of thoughts. Finally, she closed her eyes too, then retrieved the box from her mind and stretched herself to George's mind. She could see him staining in the middle of the mess that was his mind.

"It's very disorganized in here," she said, startling him. He turned around to face her for a moment, but his eyes were drawn back to his surroundings.

"What is all this?" He asked, waving a hand around him.

"All your thoughts, all the information you have collected over the years. All your ideas, and memories are around here somewhere too probably," she explained, leading him through the mess back to the corner she had found his emotions in last time.

"If you organize it, you will remember things easier and faster, and you will be able to hold on to details much longer. I have all of mine organized into room that line a wide hallway, and all the doors are labeled, so I know how to find everything," Alessa said, repeating her mother's words from years and years ago.

"Why can't I see your mind here too?" He asked, looking around him again, though he wasn't sure what exactly he was trying to see.

"Because I have my mind defended. I'd have to take you there. I can if you would like to see," she said, setting down the box she carried. "It's only fair, since I've see yours."

"Why would you willing let me into your head? Wouldn't I see all your secrets or something?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You wouldn't see anything I didn't want you to see if you went there. I know how to contain things. I've been organizing my mind since I was little. My mother taught me how when I was seven," Alessa said, unsealing the box and lifting the top.

"So what are those?" George asked, kneeling down beside her to look into the box curiously.

"These are the emotions I took from you to keep track of you," she said, pointing at the larger ball of smoke in front of them. The surface was mostly a light sparkling red, which Alessa knew to be curiosity.

"These are my emotions? He asked, fascinated. He reached a hand into the box and tried to pick some up but his hand went through it. He frowned.

"You won't be able to move them unless you have practiced at it," Alessa explained. "I'm surprised you can even see them. What do they look like to you?" She asked, letting her curiosity get the best of her.

"What do you mean?" He asked, frowning. "Can't you see them?"

"Well, everyone sees things differently. I see emotions as colored smoke with different densities, that's how I can tell them apart," she said, reaching into the box to draw out a string of curiosity.

"It looks like a ball of smoke to me, but I can't see any colors, it's all just gray, like everything else here," George said, leaning back and crossing his legs under him, watching as she drew the string of curiosity into her hand where it turned into a ball of smoke.

"What is that one?" George asked, reaching out to it, but not touching it.

"Curiosity," Alessa said, watching it for a second. "I see it as a sparkling red that's a bit like campfire smoke. It's not heavy smoke, but it's not light either." As she described it to him, he could start to see the colors too.

Alessa continued to describe the different emotions to him as she pulled them out of the box. Guilt, excitement, comfort, calm. She came to light pink thread and blushed as she drew it out. She released it into the bigger mess of emotions without naming it, but George asked anyway.

"What was that one?"

"Um, desire," she said, then watched as he blushed and she smirked in amusement, then moved onto the last one. She drew it out in handfuls until it swirled on the floor between them.

"This is depression," she said, as the box, now empty, disappeared. "I see it as black, and heavy, almost like molasses would be if it were a smoke. It sticks to other emotions and sucks them in," she said, watching as the ball between them joined its counterpart above and absorbed a patch of red on it's way.

She stood then, brushing off her hands on her baggy sweat pants. George stood too, though he was still watching the ball of now colored emotions.

"So how do we get back to the flat?" He asked after a moment, looking around the large space again. Alessa smiled sadly at the familiar question, she had asked her mother the same thing and felt stupid afterward for not realizing that all she was doing was thinking, she hadn't physically moved at all.

"We never left it. We are still sitting on the couch, just open your eyes," she said, then followed her own advice, opening her eyes to find herself staring into George's brown ones.

"That was… fascinating," he said, leaning forward.

"Yeah, people's minds are incredible," she said softly, then dropped her eyes to her lap. "I'm sorry for going there without permission last time. I honestly was just trying to help you."

George put a hand under her chin again, lifting her face like he had done before.

"I'm not angry," he said. "I promised you I wouldn't be."

"I know," she said, pulling her chin from his grip and looking back down at her lap. "I was just making sure."

He gripped her chin and lifted her face again, but this time he didn't say anything, just looked into her eyes for a moment. Then he leaned forward slowly, and Alessa's eyes fluttered shut. He stopped, his mouth a hair's breadth away from hers. Alessa could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest, and she was sure he could hear it too. A wave of uncertainty poured over her and she opened her eyes to see that he had closed his. She smiled, then leaned forward, connecting her lips to his. He sighed, his hand wandering from her chin to cup her cheek and his lips moved with hers. Both of Alessa's arms ended up around his neck, her hands gripped his hair as she pulled him closer.

A few moments passed, or maybe it was an hour, Alessa had lost track of the time. When George pulled away, he leaned his forehead against hers and drew in a shaky breath. Her lips formed a smile of their own accord.

"I think we should go to bed," George said, finally. Alessa drew back from him then, her eyebrow raised. "I didn't mean it like that," George said, holding his hands up in front of him, blushing slightly. "I meant sleep, it's late."

"I know," Alessa said, chuckling. They both got to their feet and moved toward the hallway. As Alessa turned into the empty bedroom, George grabbed her hand and spun her around. He leaned down and kissed her again, lingering for a few seconds.

"Good night Alessa," he said softly.

"Good night George," she replied, smiling. He disappeared into his room, shutting the door behind him, but Alessa could still feel the contentment rolling off him, and she smiled, closing her door too.

Alessa fell asleep with a smile on her face, feeling better than she had in a long time.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Mind Control

Alessa woke the next morning to furious banging on the door of the flat and a pounding headache. Half asleep, she reached out with her mind to see who was at the door, then she sat up quickly as she realized that she wasn't in her own flat. Her consciousness brushed against that of Ginny's, and Alessa pulled her mind back and threw her feet over the edge of the bed. She went to the front door, sensing that George was still out cold, and flung it open, surprising Ginny.

"Alessa? What are you doing here?" Ginny asked, then raised an eyebrow as she took in Alessa's appearance. Alessa hadn't taken her hair out of its braid, or removed the makeup she had worn last night, so she could only imagine how she looked.

"I was too drunk to apparate home last night so your brother let me sleep in his spare room," Alessa explained, not quite sure what to say about their current relationship, if there was a relationship at all. She wasn't sure what George wanted, so she didn't say anything.

"Ah, well I was actually coming by to drop off the clothes you left at my place yesterday. And your purse, which you left at the bar," Ginny said in a questioning tone, obviously wondering why Alessa had left without her things.

"Yeah, I was kinda… out of it last night," Alessa said, rubbing the back of her neck. "Thanks Ginny."

"No problem," Ginny said, smirking at Alessa. "Nice clothes, they suit you."

"Shut up. I didn't have anything else to wear," Alessa said, yawning. "By the way, George said he saw Luna and Neville kissing last night, so your plan worked."

"I know," Ginny said, grinning mischievously. "I knew they just needed a push in the right direction. "You're next by the way."

"What? No," Alessa said, taking a step back in horror. Ginny's idea of matchmaking was usually throwing Alessa at every available guy she knew.

Ginny just smirked at her. "Well, I'd better be going. By the way, the shop door was unlocked, you two must have been in a hurry to get upstairs." She winked.

"It wasn't like that Ginny," Alessa said, blushing.

Ginny left without commenting, but Alessa could her her chuckling all the way down the stairs before she shut the door again. Judging by the sun, it was just after seven in the morning. Alessa cursed Ginny for being such an early riser and wandered to the bathroom with the clothes Ginny had given her. She hadn't noticed it last night, but now that she was sober, Alessa saw the jagged pieces of glass that remained in the rim of the empty mirror. She frowned, then did her best to clean the makeup off her face, using the phone Ginny had brought in her purse as a reflective surface. Then she unbound her hair and finger combed it before braiding it back again.

Alessa pulled on the jeans she had worn to work yesterday morning, and the shirt, since neither of them were that dirty, and she didn't really have another option. She folded the clothes George had lent her, then left the bathroom.

It took her about two minutes of looking in the cupboards to realize that the only things George had in the flat that were edible were tea, coffee, and a jar of peanut butter.

Making sure that George was still asleep, Alessa left the flat quietly. She spent a few minutes counting out the change in the drawer and grabbing the things she would need to take to the bank, then she made her rounds of Diagon Alley, stopping at the bank, the apothecary for their hangover remedies, and then the cafe for breakfast. She made it back to the flat just in time to hear the shower shut off. She set the food and hangover remedy onto the table, moving aside some papers to make room, then she flipped on the kettle to make tea. By the time George came out of the bathroom, she was sitting at the table, sipping from a mug of tea, having already consumed some of the hangover remedy potion. She hadn't thought George was too drunk last night, but she wasn't sure how he usually was with hangovers so she had gotten him some too.

George sat across from her, not saying anything. She watched him take a drink from the mug she had poured him, and frowned.

"Why do you feel guilty?" She asked, making him glance up at her, then look away frowning. "Sorry, I can't help but noticing."

"I know, it's not your fault," he said, using his fork to push food around on the plate she had set out for him. She almost thought he wasn't going to answer, and she looked down at her plate, wishing she hadn't said anything.

"I feel guilty that I'm… I dunno… going out… and Fred..." he swallowed, putting his fork down and letting his hands fall to his lap, where he twisted them together anxiously.

"You shouldn't feel guilty for living," Alessa said, watching him look down. She had never seen him show that he was anything but okay while he was sober before. "Would your brother want you to die just because he did? Because that's what you're acting like, and if that's what he would want, I'm honestly glad that I didn't meet him because he doesn't sound like a nice person."

George lifted his head at her tone and glared at her for a moment as she sipped her tea unconcernedly.

"How can you say that?" He yelled angrily, standing up and pushing his chair back in the process. He put both hands on the table and leaned in toward her. "Fred was the best person I knew. You didn't even know him and you are just assuming you know what he would want? Of course he wouldn't want me to die, he would kick my ass if I even thought about it." He was breathing heavily now, scowling at her.

"Exactly," Alessa said, taking a bite of her food calmly, not bothered in the slightest by his momentary anger. George stood up straight, a confused look on his face, then sank into his chair as he realized what she meant. "He would want you to live, not stay cooped up in your shop, wasting away because you aren't eating."

George leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees with his head in his hands. He rubbed his face, then looked up at her.

"Sorry for yelling," he said, watching her take another sip of tea.

"Don't apologize. I provoked you on purpose. Sometimes the best way to hear something is from yourself. That's the only way you would believe it," Alessa said, smiling at him. He picked up his fork again, this time actually eating with it. Alessa could feel the guilt slowly ebbing away from him.

"Where did you get clothes?" George asked, looking at her over his plate.

"Ginny stopped by this morning. These are the things I left at her house yesterday," Alessa said, setting her now empty cup on top of her empty plate.

"Ginny came by? I didn't hear her," George said, taking another bite.

"Yes, well I'm surprised she didn't knock down your door, she was pounding on it so hard," Alessa said, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.

"What did you tell her?" George asked, looking at his plate.

"What?" Alessa asked, though she was sure he was wondering about her explanation for being there.

"Didn't she wonder why you were here?" He asked again, confirming her thoughts.

"Oh. I told her I was too drunk to make it home last night so you let me stay in the spare room," Alessa said, looking down for a moment. "I, um, wasn't sure what to tell her about… anything else," she said uncertainty, not looking up now. She wasn't even sure if George remembered last night. He hadn't seemed as drunk as she had been, but now she wasn't sure.

George was silent long enough that she looked up.

"Would you like there to be something else to tell her?" George asked, lifting an eyebrow in question. Alessa looked at him quizzically.

"Are you asking me out?" She asked, the corners of her mouth twitching up again.

"Only if you want to," George said, looking down suddenly. "I know I'm not the easiest person to get along with sometimes, and it's been a really long time since I have made an effort to get along with people, and I know you probably…"

Alessa had moved around the table while he talked, and this time it was her hand lifting his face up. She cut him off effectively by leaning down to connect her lips to his in a chaste kiss.

"I'd love to go out with you," Alessa said, smirking at him as he opened his eyes slowly. Then he grinned, the first real smile she had seen on his face since she had met him. "But I have an idea."

She waved her wand, sending both of their empty dishes to the sink as she sat back down on her side of the table.

"I want to do something to get back at Ginny for waking me up at six in the morning nearly every day for the last month," Alessa said, leaning forward.

"I see," George smirked. "Shall it be a prank? Or just good old revenge?"

"Sort of a prank. So, she has been hinting at me for several days now that she is going to try to hook me up with someone," Alessa said, laughing at the 'of course she would do that' look on Georges face.

"So I say, we don't tell her about this," Alessa said, waving her hand between them to indicate their newly formed relationship.

"And we let her continue to try to set you up?" George asked, following Alessa's thought.

"Yes, and every time she tries, she will fail," Alessa continued.

"And she will get so frustrated," George said laughing. "I like that idea. How long do you think it will take for her to explode?"

"Probably not long, she's not very patient," Alessa said with a laugh, then they stood together and went toward the door to the shop. Alessa pulled the door open, then turned around to face George. He tilted his head, looking at her. She smiled, then stood on her toes to press her lips to his again. One of his hands reached around her waist, pulling her closer, and she sighed into the kiss, then pulled away smiling again.

"Thanks," George said, looking at her.

"For kissing you?" She asked. It was her turn to tilt her head in confusion.

"For earlier," George said, then smirked. "And for the kiss."

"Well get used to it. I like kissing and it's been a really long time since I've had someone I want to kiss," Alessa said, laughing as she walked down the stairs.

Alessa was in a great mood for the entire day, even though it was busy. George spent the morning and part of the afternoon helping her take care of customers, but he disappeared downstairs halfway through the afternoon. Alessa could still feel his emotions even though she didn't have them in her mind. Maybe bringing them there on purpose had caused a lingering effect. Or maybe she was just so used to looking for his feelings that she did it subconsciously now. He was still feeling guilty even after their talk that morning, though not quite as bad, and after spending so much time around customers, he was anxious, and also a little sad. But Alessa could find a small amount of hope and even some happiness mixed in with all of his emotions that hadn't been there before. She smiled to herself. It was a start. She knew he didn't want to be depressed, but he felt like he should be, or it would be an insult to Fred's memory, so any amount of happiness was an improvement.

After she had closed the shop, he came back upstairs to see her off, kissing her lightly, and smiling. She locked the door behind her, almost wishing she wasn't leaving, or that he was coming with her.

Her flat seemed much colder and darker than the shop when she arrived home, and as she had gotten very little sleep the night before, she fell into bed, only taking the time to strip off her jeans and apron before passing out completely.

Ginny cornered Alessa in the shop a week later.

"We are going out tonight," Ginny said, glaring at Alessa. "And I have invited a friend of mine too."

Alessa glanced over Ginny's shoulder at George who was stocking a nearby shelf, he winked and moved further away.

"Fine," Alessa said, looking back at Ginny.

"No, you can't blow me off again. You have so many excuses," Ginny said, throwing her hands into the air, then she stopped her obviously pre meditated rant. "Wait, was that a yes?"

"Yeah," Alessa said laughing, then turning back to the shelf she had been reorganizing.

"Great! George, you have to come along too. And Katie and Angelina will be there, and maybe Neville. Not sure about him yet," Ginny said, walking back toward the front of the store. Alessa abandoned the shelf to follow after her, rolling her eyes at Ginny's excitement. Ginny practically skipped from the shop five minutes later, ordering Alessa to meet her at her house after work.

"She's a right little terror," George said, shaking his head.

"She's your sister. She probably got it from you," Alessa commented, sitting down behind the counter. "At the rate she is making us go out, you may need to hire another employee. I don't think I will be able to keep up."

George laughed, then left the shop to get their lunch from next door. The two had eaten lunch together every day for the last week, and Alessa could feel the guilt slowly leaving his mind as he became more relaxed around her.

When George returned they sat down in the back to eat in comfortable silence.

"So, any idea who this guy Ginny's bringing along is?" George asked.

"She didn't say," Alessa said, shaking her head. They continued eating in silence for another few moments.

"Um, do you remember last week, when you showed me how to meditate and said my mind was disorganized?" George asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Alessa nodded. "Why?"

"Well, I was wondering if you could show me how to organize it," George said, looking away from her as he spoke.

"I could," Alessa said slowly, wondering why he wanted to learn it when he was so hesitant about it before.

"But?" George asked, looking up at her tone.

"It would mean going back into your mind," Alessa started. George nodded, not seeing what she was getting at.

"And it would mean going through your mind," she said, waiting for him to catch on. He didn't. "And looking at all of your thoughts. And memories."

"Oh," he said. Then paused. "That's… that's okay. I still want to learn."

"Are you sure?" Alessa asked, surprised that he would let her see his thoughts at all.

"Yeah. I'm sure," George said, looking up at her. She smiled.

"Okay," she said, setting down her empty plate and leaning back into the chair. "Close your eyes."

"What, now?" George asked, leaning back into the couch.

"If you want. I'll hear the bell ring if anyone comes in. And there's not really a lot of work left to do and it's been slow all day. We can start later though, if you want," Alessa said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"No, now if fine," George said, then he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself.

"Don't be nervous," Alessa said, her eyes closed too.

"It's just weird to willingly let someone into my head," George muttered, concentrating on breathing like Alessa had taught him to last time. Alessa reached out with her mind, and found herself standing in the middle of the jumbled mess of his mind alone. She waited a few moments before she saw him appear.

"How do you get here so quickly?" He asked, walking toward her.

"Lots of practice," she said, looking around her for a place to begin. "Let's start by blocking off the things you don't want me to see."

"How do I do that?" George said.

"When we come across something you want to keep to yourself, just envision a door closing, and I won't look at it," she explained.

"But you could if you wanted to?" He asked, forehead creased in thought.

"I could, but I won't," she looked at him, frowning a bit. "I won't ever force you to show me something you don't want me to see."

He nodded, then smiled at her. "So how do I make a door?"

She frowned, trying to remember how her mother had taught her to clear her mind years ago.

"Come here," she said finally, beckoning to him. When he was near enough, she grabbed his hand and began to pull him toward her mind.

"Where are we," he asked as things came into focus. He looked around the brightly lit hallway that was her mind.

"This is my mind. I don't know how to explain how to build things in your mind, and I want to show you how to create places to store your thoughts," she said, watching him walk around to read the labels on the doors.

"You have a door labeled 'George'?" He asked, coming to a stop in front of his door and turning to raise an eyebrow at her in question. She let it swing open from where she was standing, letting him see inside it.

"It's empty," she said from her position in the middle of the hall. "I used to keep your emotions there, but I don't have them anymore. I just forgot to get rid of the room last time I was here." As she spoke, the door closed and slid into the floor and the ones on either side of it slid together to fill the space.

"Come here," Alessa said again once George had finished looking at the doors. Most of the door labels would be blurry to him anyway, she had made sure he wouldn't find anything that she didn't want him to see.

When he reached her, she grabbed his hand to lead him to a door nearby and opened it, pulling him in after her. It was dark for a second but their eyes adjusted quickly.

"What is this room for?" George asked, dropping her hand to wander through the slight mess of things.

"This is where my current thoughts take place, the ones in the middle are things I'm actively thinking about. The ones along the side are things my subconscious thinks about, like hunger, thirst, breathing, heartbeats, things like that. I brought you here so you could see what I thought while I was creating a place to organize thoughts into," she explained, watching him walk around the room. "Look into that," she said, pointing at a globe filled with words, ideas, emotions, pictures and feelings. She felt weird, having him here, and she knew it showed in the ball that was her current thoughts, but she also knew that he wouldn't be able to know what it meant unless she told him.

"First, you draw on a memory. It doesn't have to be a door, it could be a box, or maybe a safe, anything that you see as something that is secure," she said as she watched images form in the globe. A door flashed in front of them, then, as she listed the different things, a box appeared, then the safe she recognized as the one under the counter in the shop. She focused back on the door, which looked like the solid brown one that had adorned her childhood room at her parents house, which was what all the doors in her minds hallway looked like.

"Next, you just… bring it out," she said, watching as the door solidified in the globe, and drifted toward her, passing through the outermost rim of the globe and coming to a stop in front of her.

"Then you just… move it, just want it to move," she tried to explain, watching the door drift away from her. She looked away from it and it faded. "It's all in your head, so you can do anything you want, but you have to concentrate on it. It might take you a while to get the hang of it."

The both heard a ringing sound then, echoing around the room.

"What was that?" George asked, looking around for the source of the sound.

"Probably a customer, I'll go check," Alessa said, vanishing from sight before George could protest. After a few moments, he could see new images appearing inside the globe, and he recognized the inside of the shop, but he could also see how Alessa saw it, and he could hear the sounds of her talking, but it was so jumbled he couldn't make sense of it. He looked around the room, most of it was a smokey blur that he could almost make shape of, but not quite.

He turned back to the globe to see Alessa standing there again, watching him.

"Sorry, I should have taken you back to your mind before I left," she said, then she walked over and grabbed his hand, and suddenly they were in his mind again. "Try making a door," Alessa said, taking him to the middle of the room.

She watched as different things flew past her, forming split second pictures of people or places he had been. Finally, a picture formed of a wooden door in a stone frame. She watched it solidify, and come to a rest on the floor.

"You picked that up quickly," she commented, and George smiled at her. "Okay, now, imagine some sort of hall or building or something to use as the main part of your mind. Draw off your memories if you want to, or you can create something new, but thats a bit harder to do."

Multiple images of rooms and buildings flew by as George thought of them. Alessa watched, curious about them, but she didn't want to break his concentration by asking. Finally a round room appeared, and before she instructed him to do so, he pushed the image out around them so that it encompassed everything in his mind. He pushed the stone door he had made until it melded with the walls.

"You are a fast learner. You probably don't even need me here to do this," Alessa said, laughing. George grinned at her.

"I'm good at creating things, it's what I do for a living you know," he said, laughing.

"That makes sense," Alessa said. "You can make some more doors to begin with, or wait until you have something to put into them. I recommend deciding how you want to split all of this up before organizing each room," she said, waving a hand around the room.

"How do I move these?" George asked, looking around him.

"You just visualize it moving. It's your mind, anything in here will do whatever you want it to with enough practice," she said, watching him walk around. "Your mind will have already organized some things on it's own. All the memories should be together, like all the emotions are." She pointed to the corner they had visited last time she was here. "Start with those, and once I know that you understand what to do, I'll leave and you can do this yourself. I'll check up on you if you want. All you need to do to leave is open your eyes, like last time."

Alessa watched George as he tried to move his emotions. It took him a few tries to get the hang of it, but once he had moved them and understand how to do it, he moved the other things more easily.

"I'm going to go," she said at last, and he jumped, probably having forgotten she was there.

"Okay, see you later I guess," George said, smiling.

"Don't stay in here if you start feeling tired," Alessa warned. "It takes up a lot of energy to organized your mind, and Ginny will no doubt kill you if you don't show up tonight." Then she smiled and disappeared, only to reappear a few seconds later. "Don't get lost in your memories," she said seriously. "It's okay to look at them a little, but you can get sucked in easily. Have you ever heard the expression 'lost in my thoughts'?" He nodded. "Take that seriously. You can be lost up here for who know how long. Time moves differently in here too. For example, it's only been about five minutes since that customer left, though it feels like longer to me. And sometimes hours will pass in what feels like five minutes. I'll check on you later." And she disappeared again. She opened her eyes, and sat still for a few moments, then got up and went back to work stocking the shelves where she had left off before.

The afternoon passed slowly, with only a few customers coming and going. Finally, Alessa counted the drawer and closed the shop.

She wrapped her cloak around her shoulders and fastened it, then sat on the couch next to George, closing her eyes.

She appeared in his mind and looked around. A lot of what had been there before was gone now, hidden behind doors placed around the room. Not seeing him immediately, she began to walk through the circular room. Finally she saw an open door and walked over to peer inside. George was sitting cross legged on the floor in front of piles of small boxes, opening them one at a time to let a silver mist pour out and form images around him.

She knocked on the frame, not wanting to intrude.

"There are a lot of memories in here," he said softly, not turning to look at her. He sounded forlorn. "I didn't realize how much I remembered."

She slid to the floor next to him, watching the silver mist flow back into the box it had come out of. He set it on the floor, then looked at her. His eyes were red, like he had been crying, and she wondered how she hadn't felt the change in his emotions while she was working. She took his hands, moving around to sit in front of him, gently moving the boxes to the side.

"Memories are the most important things you have," she said, closing her eyes for a moment. "There are sad ones, and happy ones, even boring ones that you don't know you remember, and all of them make you who you are. If you lost any of them, even the smallest little thing, you would be a different person. Maybe not so different from how you are now, but still different." She smiled, keeping her eyes closed. "And even if you don't want the memories, I am glad you have them all, because if you didn't I might never have met you."

He leaned forward and kissed her lightly. Then he stood, pulling her up with him. His arms went around her waist as she stood, and she smiled at how comfortable he had grown to being around her.

"I'm done for today," he said, yawning and resting his head on top of hers. "What time is it?"

"After closing. I need to go home and change before Ginny shows up and breaks down my door," Alessa said, then faded from sight, leaving George's arms to fall against his sides. A few seconds later, George opened his eyes too, coming back to reality.

"I'll see you in a few hours then," George said, continuing their conversation. He stood again, and pulled her up in the same fashion as earlier. This time he pulled her in and kissed her soundly.

When he pulled back, she grinned up at him. He grinned back, then let her go.

She locked the door behind her and hurried home, only to find that Ginny was already there.

"Took you long enough," Ginny snapped. "I've been waiting for five minutes. I brought an outfit for you, we can get ready here instead of at my place."

Alessa sighed and unlocked the door, letting Ginny inside then closing the door behind her.

"I'm not dressing like a slut again," Alessa said, wary of the outfit Ginny had brought. She hung her cloak in its place and kicked off her shoes before walking further into the flat. The living room was still cluttered with boxes, but Ginny ignored them.

"Of course not," Ginny sighed impatiently. "You have to look classy if I'm going to hook you up with anyone."

Alessa laughed at that. "Classy for a bar date? That seems a little ironic," she said, dropping her purse over the back of her couch.

"Not for a bar date," Ginny corrected. "For a date at that nice drinking den on the other side of Diagon Alley," she said smugly.

"Hm. I've never been there," Alessa commented, ignoring the self satisfied expression of the younger girl, then headed to the bathroom, grabbing the outfit Ginny thrust at her on the way. She changed into it, having no complaints this time. Ginny had given her a deep purple dress that hugged her breasts and stomach, then flared out at her hips to fall gracefully a little above her knees. The neckline was a bit low, but not so low as to be considered slutty. Thin straps held it over her shoulders, and the back plunged down to the middle of her spine, more thin straps criss crossing along the back. Alessa sighed in appreciation, smoothing the fabric into place with her hands.

"Ginny, this dress is beautiful," she said, walking out of the bathroom, still running a hand over the smooth fabric.

"I know, I have good taste," Ginny said grinning. "Now put these on," she said, throwing a pair of silver heels at her. Alessa frowned at them, but didn't complain as she slipped them on. They were more comfortable than they looked.

Ginny went into the bathroom to change as Alessa used her wand to cast a charm on her hair, making it curl slightly, then she pulled the top half back into a twist. Ginny approved of the hairdo when she was finished dressing, and told Alessa what makeup to put on, then disappeared again to get ready herself.

"So who's this guy you think I'll like?" Alessa asked as she leaned against the door frame watching Ginny putting the finishing touches on her makeup.

"I'm not telling. But I think you know him," Ginny said, grinning as Alessa groaned. She'd had the forethought to take a larger purse than normal, and she shoved some extra clothes into it, just in case Ginny started with the drinking again tonight, though if they were going to a classing place, chances of getting completely wasted were slim.

They arrived at the bar Ginny had described nearly an hour after Alessa had left work. The sign outside the building read 'Val's' in a curvy elegant script, and as they walked inside, Alessa could see that the decorations were very upscale. Soft music played as people sat around at tables talking quietly. It was nearly empty, which was to be expected on a Sunday night since most people would have to work the next morning. Ginny talked quietly to one of the workers then led Alessa to a back room where she saw a bunch of Ginny's friends. Ginny pulled her down into a seat next to a tall boy with blondish hair who was talking to Katie and Angelina about broom models. George and Neville had yet to appear, but Ginny made introductions anyway.

"Alessa, this is Oliver Wood, he used to be captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team. Now he's a reserve for Puddlemere United. Oliver, this is Alessa, she was in Ravenclaw."

Alessa said hello to him, then listened as he continued his conversation with Kaite and Angelina. She did recognize him, but they had never talked before, since they didn't really have much in common that she knew of. Alessa ordered a non-alcoholic drink from the waiter that came by a few minutes later, then spent the next ten minutes stirring it slowly with the tiny straw it came with. She was just starting to get bored when George walked it, Neville trailing behind him. Alessa looked up and caught George's eye for a second, then he looked at the other occupants of the table and grinned in recognition.

"Oliver! What are you doing here?" George said, sitting down across from Alessa. "Did you give up on quidditch already?"

"No way," Oliver grinned. "I was at your sisters try outs yesterday, and she invited me out for drinks."

"How did your try outs go, Ginny?" Alessa asked, not listening to the rest of the boys' conversation.

"It went really well I think," Ginny said, sipping her drink. "I'll hear back from them next month sometime I think."

"That's great," Alessa said, smiling.

Ginny made several attempts over the course of the night to direct Alessa's attention to Oliver, and she grew more and more frustrated every time Alessa didn't pick up on it.

By time Oliver said he needed to leave, Alessa had hardly spoken to him at all, and Ginny was pouting into her drink while Alessa tried to keep herself from laughing.

"I should get going too," Alessa said, standing to leave about ten minutes later. Neville and Angelina had both left earlier.

"I'll walk you out," George said quickly, getting to his feet.

They walked in silence out of the building and down the street.

"You look really nice tonight," George said, his cheeks turning a little red.

"Thanks," Alessa smiled. "Ginny said I had to look classy for my supposed date."

"Did you see how mad she got? I'm surprised she didn't push you on top of him by accident just to start a conversation," George said laughing.

"I'm sure I'll hear all about it tomorrow," Alessa said, sighing dramatically. They reached the Leaky Cauldron, and stood apart awkwardly for a moment.

"Would you, maybe, want to come over?" Alessa asked hesitantly. George looked at her, eyebrow raised. "Not like that," she said, hitting his arm lightly.

"Sure," George said, taking her hand. She gripped his arm and apparated in front of her building, then led him quietly up the stairs. She could sense that he was nervous, but she was as well so she didn't say anything about it.

She kicked her shoes off by the door as she walked in, then removed her cloak to set it over the back of the couch.

"I'm going to go change," Alessa said, walking toward her room.

"Do you need help?" George asked, smirking in a joking manner. She rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her without commenting.

She quickly pulled off the dress, replacing it with the shorts and tank top that she usually slept in, then she went back out to the living room. George had picked up a book from her coffee table while he waited, reading over the back of it.

"Sometimes I forget that you were a Ravenclaw, but things like this remind me," he said, waving a hand at the pile of boxed against the wall, all of which were overflowing with books.

"I like books," she said defensively, taking the book from his hand and setting it back on the table, then she went to turn on the kettle to make some tea. When the water had boiled, she poured two cups and walked back to the couch, handing George a mug before sitting down and tucking her legs underneath her.

"What's that?" George asked, pointing to a black box sitting against the wall.

"It's a muggle television," Alessa said. "Hermione taught me how to use it. It's very entertaining." She grabbed the remote from the table and turned it on, laughing at George's face as he watched the screen come to life. The movie playing currently was one she had seen before, called Titanic, about a ship sinking and she flipped the channel quickly, knowing that it had a sad ending. She landed on a different movie she hadn't seen before, and settled back to watch, leaning her head on George's shoulder.

The next thing she knew, George was lifting her from the couch and carrying her down the hall. He placed her gently on her bed, pulling the covers up over her, then turned to leave.

"Stay... if you want to," she mumbled, not opening her eyes. She didn't hear anything for a few seconds and briefly thought that maybe he had left, but then she felt the mattress on the other side of the bed dip down. She rolled over on her side to watch him. He kicked his shoes off, then pulled off the shirt he had worn to the bar and slipped under the covers. Once he had settled, she scooted over to him, resting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her. She sighed with contentment, closing her eyes and nestling into him. She felt him kiss the top of her head before she drifted off again, a smile on her face.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Halloween Dates

Alessa opened her eyes slowly the next morning. The sun was streaming in her window, and she was incredibly warm, though the days had been growing steadily colder. She snuggled deeper into her blankets only to come into contact with a warm body. She looked up into George's sleeping face and smiled, watching him for a few seconds, then she carefully extracted herself from the bed, quietly leaving the room.

She had showered and made a mug of coffee and was just about to settle into the couch when loud knocking came from her door. She pulled it open quickly, coming face to face with Ginny, who was scowling at her.

"Good morning Ginny, how are you today," Alessa asked, sipping her coffee as she stood aside to let Ginny storm in angrily.

"It's afternoon now, I let you sleep in. And don't pull that crap with me. You purposefully didn't talk to Oliver last night," Ginny hissed, jabbing at Alessa with her finger.

Alessa shrugged, dodging away from her. "He wasn't my type," she said, then lifted her cup to hide the smile that appeared when Ginny sputtered.

"Fine. I have another boy you can meet tonight," she said, smirking as Alessa's face formed into a frown.

"I'm not going out two nights in a row Ginny. Besides, I have to work tomorrow," Alessa said, glad to have a moderately good excuse to use.

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "Fine. Thursday then. And don't make an excuse or I will make your life hell."

"But Thursday is Halloween," Alessa said, frowning.

"I know. And I happen to know of several great parties happening that night. You will come to one of them with me and you will meet another one of my friends," Ginny said, an evil glint in her eyes.

"Okay, I will, I promise," Alessa said, then looked over Ginny's shoulder as her bedroom door opened. She saw George start to walk out, see his sister, and rush back inside, shutting the door behind him with a click.

"What was that," Ginny asked, turning toward the noise.

"Just the wind," Alessa said calmly. "I left my window open last night. It gets really warm in there at night, all that muggle heating and stuff."

"Oh," Ginny said, immediately forgetting the noise as she turned back to her. "I know the shop is closed on Halloween, so I expect you at my place at 4pm sharp."

"Yes ma'am," Alessa saluted grinning. Ginny finally broke a smile. "Here, I have your shoes and dress here," Alessa said, remembering the clothing she had set on her couch arm the previous day.

"Keep the dress, I just want the shoes back," Ginny said, taking them from her. Alessa grinned and hugged the younger girl in thanks.

Finally Ginny left, and Alessa sighed when the door closed then went to let George know the coast was clear.

"That was hilarious," Alessa said, laughing. "Your face when you saw her was completely horrified."

"Well she is a horrifying little demon," George said, laughing.

"Come on, I was just about to make breakfast, though Ginny has informed me that it is afternoon," Alessa said, turning back to the hall.

George followed her, but as they reached the living room, he pulled her back, wrapping his arms around her and letting his head rest on top of hers for a few seconds. She hugged him back, arms around his waist. Finally he pulled away, pecking her on the lips.

"What was that for?" She asked, continuing on to the kitchen, smiling.

"No reason," he smiled, leaning against the wall to watch her make some scrambled eggs and toast using the muggle appliances in her kitchen. They were both quiet until she set the food on the table and pushed aside a stack of books to make room for him. Since she usually was the only person to sit at the table, the rest of it was covered with books and papers.

"I like your place," George said, looking around the room. "It's cosy, even if it is full of boxes."

"I like it too," Alessa admitted, then frowned. "I've been trying to find a place in Diagon Alley, but nothing there drew me in as much as this place did. Maybe my standards are too high."

"You could live with me," George said offhandedly. Alessa's head jerked up.

"Don't you think that's moving a little fast? I mean, we've only been dating for a week," she said, and was embarrassed to find her voice shaking a little. She cleared her throat, then looked up to see George watching her closely.

"I didn't mean with me with me. Just, with me," he said, frowning a little.

"Yes, because that makes sense," Alessa said, trying to lighten the mood that had fallen around them. She could feel curiosity coming from George, along with a pang of rejection. She sighed.

"I meant, I have a spare room in my flat that is never used," George said, keeping a straight face.

"Oh," Alessa said. "I didn't mean that I'd never want to live with you I just…"

"I know, it's fine," George said, going back to his breakfast. She smiled a little as she felt the rejection fade away. She didn't want to hurt him, he was already broken. Suddenly she felt the stress of the situation she had put herself in the last few months. She would have to constantly watch what she said and did now, because even if he didn't show it, George was fragile and unsure of himself. Anything she said could push him over an edge. She pushed her hands over her face and into her hair.

"What's wrong?" He asked, finishing his food.

"Nothing, it's just going to mean a lot of packing and reorganizing," she told him, changing the subject. He grinned.

After breakfast Alessa washed the dishes, letting George dry them with a towel and put them away in the places she pointed out to him. It was almost three when they settled on the couch and Alessa flipped on the television again, turning it to some comedy show that was playing.

"Would you like to go out to dinner?" George asked half an hour later.

"Tonight?" George nodded, still looking at the telly. "Like a date?" She asked, a smile spreading across her face.

"Yes," George said, grinning back at her now.

"Sure. Where should we go?" Alessa asked.

"Somewhere in the muggle world," George said. "I've never been to a muggle restaurant."

"Oh, I have. I know some really good ones around here. What kind of food do you want?" Alessa said, switching off the television to face him.

As they planned their first date, deciding on an Italian place about three blocks away, Alessa worried about the Halloween party Ginny had mentioned. She knew George would probably not be willing to be dragged around to a bunch of parties with them, which meant Alessa would have no one to talk to except whichever boy Ginny was setting her up with.

"Should we tell Ginny yet?" Alessa asked as they walked to the Italian restaurant that evening. She didn't specify what she was talking about, but George understood her anyway.

"Already? Nah, trust me, she isn't even close to as pissed off as she could be. She gets so riled up about things that are out of her control. You have to wait at least two more dates. By then she will be half crazy," George said, walking beside her with his hands in his pockets. Alessa had only worn a sweater and a scarf, but now she was wishing she had a thicker jacket. It had been unseasonably warm for most of October, but today had become very crisp, and the wind wasn't helping either. She pulled her scarf tighter to prevent the wind from hitting her neck.

"Okay," Alessa said, agreeing with George since he had known Ginny longer than she had. After another moment they arrived at the restaurant. It was a very casual place, and it was warm inside, which to Alessa was all the qualifications that a first date required. They found a booth and picked up the menus from the table, taking a few minutes to decide.

The night went by quickly. They chatted about insignificant things, from favorite quidditch teams and vacations they had been on to favorite colors and which classes they had enjoyed in school, though they kept their voices lower when talking about things from the magical world.

"You liked potions?" George said incredulously as he sipped his drink. They had finished their meals nearly a half hour ago, but neither of them wanted to leave yet. "Whatever for?"

"I don't know. I mean, my parents both worked as potion makers, and I really liked how meticulous certain potions were. And the sense of accomplishment you get when you perfectly brew a really difficult potion. I just liked it. I wish they had offered a class about human psychology though. That probably would have been my favorite class if they had," Alessa said.

"Psychology?" George asked.

"Yeah, like, how people think and why they think something. I've always found that interesting. I've read a lot of books about it, most of them are muggle ones. Muggles are actually really advanced in that area. I was thinking about applying for the program St. Mungo's has to train their healers who work with memory, but I didn't want to be restricted to just memory, I want to work with the whole mind and help people recover from things that have made them 'lose their minds' so to speak. I don't know if it's possible to bring people back once they've gone mad, but I have always wanted to try," Alessa said, drinking her soda. Soda was one of the things she loved most about Muggle restaurants.

"Why didn't you take that program for the experience and then just change fields later on? I'm sure St. Mungo's would have made a new area for someone to work on people's minds. Maybe you could bring people out of a coma," George said, thinking of all the things that could come out of someone who could heal minds.

"I brought it up to the lead healer a few times actually," Alessa said, her hands balling into fists on her lap as she looked down.

"What did he say?" George asked, sipping his drink again.

"The first time I brought it up, he said that they had no funding for something that was all theory. The second time he told me to be a good little girl and get back to my paper work," Alessa said, looking away in anger.

"All theory? You could easily show him what you can do. Just go into his mind like you did mine," George said, frowning.

"No," Alessa said, looking up. "And you can't tell anyone about that. Ever."

"Why not?" George asked, taken aback by her suddenly harsh attitude.

"Think about it," Alessa said quietly, trying to soften her voice. "Have you ever met anyone else who could leave their mind and go into someone else's without a spell or some sort of dark magic? Someone who can do it the way I can?"

"Well, when you put it that way, I've never even heard of it before," George said, thinking.

"Exactly. That's because no one else can," she said.

"So why can you? If no one else can do it, how did you learn it?" George asked, putting his elbows on the table and leaning forward, head in his hands. Alessa sighed, then she looked around at the muggle patrons. She drew her wand out of her sleeve and held it out of view under the table. She quietly cast the muffliato charm around them to ensure that no one else could hear.

"I need you to swear you won't ever repeat this. I shouldn't even be saying it. And if you want to know, you have to agree to let me take the information from wherever you store these memories and put it into something that can't be broken into using occlumency," She said watching his eyes grow wider as she spoke.

"Serious then. Yes, I agree. What is it?" George said, leaning closer across the table.

"Have you ever heard of Empaths?" Alessa asked quietly, not able to look at his face.

"Yeah, my mom used to read us stories. The Empaths were the evil people luring their victims to them by controlling their emotions," George said, obviously confused with the change of subject.

Alessa shook her head. "No, that's how wizards preferred to paint them so that they didn't seem like murderers when they killed the Empath. Most Empaths couldn't even control emotions like that, they could only feel them, and sometimes feel the thoughts behind them. Empaths were the most understanding and patient people. Who wouldn't be when they could feel how the person they were talking to could feel. The ones that controlled emotions were wizards who captured an Empath, cast certain spells over them, then killed them to absorb their powers."

George had frowned in concentration throughout her story.

"I've never heard that before," George said when she paused.

"I'm not surprised," she said, her voice soft with sadness. "History books are written by the people who win, so they are all one sided. Anything you read about wizards is tilted so that they look like the superior species because they conquered all the other magical species' centuries ago. In the dark ages, there were a lot of Empaths. The Empath gene is passed down from parents to children, and it can be latent for a few generations then come back, much like the abilities of a seer." She paused to take a drink and look around them again, making sure no one had come within the range of the charm she had cast.

"So back in the dark ages, a small group of wizards saw the abilities of a young Empath girl, she had been showing off for her parents by guessing how they were feeling or something, I'm not really sure about that. These wizards stole the child and developed multiple spells and curses to steal her abilities. They wanted to control the world by controlling emotions. They killed the girl, and when they realized that their spells had worked, they began killing off more empaths, thinking that the more power they absorbed, the stronger they would get. Soon more wizards found out about what the group had done. A few were against a mass slaughter, but many wanted the power for themselves. Whole families were tortured and killed. Even the children who showed no abilities yet were taken. It became a game, to hunt the empaths. People kept them as slaves, selling them to whoever paid the most," Alessa said angrily, then took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down.

"After a while, the wizards stopped hunting the empaths, and whoever remained went into hiding. Maybe a handful of families survived. And they never showed their talents to anyone, not even other family memberes. They taught their children to be private, rarely talking to others, and those children taught their children the same. Now, empaths are a story. If they exist at all, they are too afraid to say anything, in case some wizarding family has passed down the secret spells to take their powers. They hide, never getting close to people."

George had watched her face closely through her story. Now he reached across the table, taking her hands into his. She finally looked up at his face. He smiled at her.

"I got it from both parents," she said, watching his face closely. His eyes didn't widen, his breathing didn't change, and his smile didn't falter.

"So I can't tell anyone," he finished in an even voice. "Stop looking so worried. I'm not going to drag you off and kill you, I promise."

She let out a small, relieved laugh then, and her muscles loosened from their tense state. She hadn't thought he would try to kill her or anything so extreme, but she had expected him to be a little upset at her for hiding it from him. Suddenly his face was serious again.

"Thank you for telling me that. You didn't have to," George said softly, stroking the back of her hand with the pad of his thumb.

"A relationship grown of lies will never bear fruit," she quoted at him. He smiled again, then slid out of his seat and stood.

"Let's go home," he said, pulling her out of her seat. She grinned, feeling completely free for the first time in her life, and she followed him back to her flat, hands clasped between them.

"Would you like to stay at my flat tonight?" He asked as they walked down the street watching the sun set over the city.

"I agreed to move there. Wouldn't that make it 'our' flat?" Alessa asked smiling up at him.

"I'm sorry," George said grinning back. "Would you like to stay at _our_ flat tonight then?"

"Oh I dunno. My new roommate is really weird," she said, straight faced as they approached her building.

"Yeah, but I hear his girlfriend is hot," George said, also keeping a straight face. Alessa's cheeks burned and she looked at her feet. George chuckled.

"I've never seen your face so red, Alessa. Are you sick?" He asked, putting a hand over her forehead in mock concern.

She stuck her tongue out at him, and he leaned down to kiss her sweetly, then followed her up the stairs of her building so she could pack a bag of clothes.

* * *

Over the course of the next few days, Alessa packed up the rest of the things in her apartment and brought them over to George's place, a few boxes at a time. She hadn't slept there since the night after their date, but they spent most of the day together, and usually went to get dinner together after work.

On Thursday morning, Ginny showed up early to drag her out for a day of shopping for costumes. Finally, they got back to Ginny's place to get ready for some party Ginny wanted to go to. George had wished her luck on her date, stating that he would rather be eaten by wolves than go to a party, and laughed when she hit his arm.

"I have a picture from Witch Weekly of how your makeup should be done," Ginny said, throwing their bags onto her bed and pulling out different articles of clothing. "Do you think you can copy it while I get ready?"

"Sure," Alessa said, glad Ginny wouldn't be torturing her again. Alessa had gotten a lot of practice with makeup since becoming friends with Ginny, and she was confident she could do her own for once.

"Great," Ginny said, already striping off her clothes to change into a skimpy outfit she had picked out. She pulled on a black sports bra and paired it with black short shorts, then wandered to the bathroom to grab her makeup. She set up camp next to Alessa in front of the big mirror in her room. Alessa had removed her shirt so it wouldn't ruin her makeup later, and sat in front of the mirror patting pale powder onto her face, her hair still braided out of the way from their daytime shopping adventures.

Half an hour later, Ginny and Alessa looked at each other, and both laughed. Ginny had used a charm to produce a black tail and ears to go with her outfit, and she had drawn cat whiskers onto her face. Alessa was wearing multiple layers of flowing orange material. Her makeup was done drastically, her eyes lined with a thick black kohl line, and her eyeshadow gave her a smokey look. She wore a bright red lipstick, and Ginny had used bronze powder to make Alessa's face more defined, and her hair swept away from her face in large curls, the rest fell completely straight down her back. Ginny had enchanted it to float every time she moved in the fashion of the old myths of Sirens, who used their beauty to lure sailors from their ships only to drown them in the sea.

"We look ridiculous," Alessa said, casting a charm to shrink her extra clothes and purse, then tucking them into the pockets of her jeans that she was still wearing underneath the heavy material that draped around her legs. "And you are going to be so cold."

Ginny was wearing practically nothing, and the day had cooled enough for Alessa to see her breath as they had walked from shop to shop. Now that the sun had set, it would be freezing.

"Nah, I cast warming charms over my clothes earlier. I'm nice and toasty. Besides, Halloween is basically the best excuse to dress up like a slut. Come on, let go meet your date," Ginny said, dragging Alessa to out the front door. Alessa rolled her eyes, then held onto Ginny's arm as they apparated.

"Why are we here?" Alessa asked, taking in the front of Zabini manor. "This is where the party is?"

"Yep," Ginny said, dragging Alessa through the open gates and up the drive. The front door was open, and there were hundreds of people milling about inside. Loud music came from the ball room, and people filled all four of the sitting rooms on the ground floor, as well as the two lounges. Elves walked around carrying trays of snacks and drinks over their heads. Ginny grabbed two cups, pushing one into Alessa's hands. Everywhere they looked the two girls saw overly eccentric costumes.

"Ginny, how are you going to know who is who?" Alessa asked, following Ginny through the crowd to the largest sitting room.

"We arranged to meet here," she paused, looking around for a clock. "In about ten minutes." She had pulled Alessa to a corner of the room and they stood, looking around them. Alessa spotted Blaise a few feet away, talking to a group of boys, so she wandered over and stood behind him, waiting for a pause in their conversation.

"I'm hurt to find that my own family didn't bother to invite me to their party," she said dramatically, wearing a forlorn expression.

"Alessa!" Blaise said, turning around in surprise.

"So why am I being disowned?" She asked sadly as Blaise pulled her into his circle of friends.

"I did invite you, dear cousin. It wouldn't be a party without you here," he said, grinning in amusement.

"Well I never received an invitation," Alessa said, crossing her arms and pouting her lip.

"I told Little Red to bring you along," Blaise said, laughing.

"Little Red?" Alessa asked, tilting her head to the side.

Blaise pointed over her shoulder to where Ginny was chatting with some other girls she knew.

"Since when are you friends with Wealey?" One of the other boys asked, and Alessa looked back around at them.

"Since she became the youngest chaser ever to get signed to play as a reserve for England," Blaise said, grinning at them.

"What! She didn't tell me that," Alessa said, looking back at Ginny with a frown.

"Oh, she doesn't know yet," Blaise said, grinning.

"How do you know then?" Alessa asked.

"I have my sources," he said, winking at her. She laughed, then turned to leave, her hair fanning out behind her. She heard someone sigh behind her.

"Dude, your cousin is hot," one of the boys said.

"Shut up, Goyle." Blaise said, smacking the boy. Alessa chuckled, then walked back over to Ginny, who had procured a new boy to talk to.

"Alessa, this is Dean Thomas. Dean, this is my friend Alessa," Ginny said, making introductions. Alessa laughed, shaking Dean's hand.

"How much did she have to pay you to come to this party?" Alessa asked, watching his uncomfortable glances toward the nearby Slytherins and guessing that he had been in Gryffindor house.

"No payment, she just threatened," he grumbled, then smiled at her, taking in her appearance.

"Nice costume. A Siren right?" Alessa nodded, then listened as Dean told some story about someone in his family nearly dying because of a siren, though she wasn't sure it was true. Ginny wandered off after introducing them, and she was still missing a half hour later when Alessa started to get bored with the conversation.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked as she shifted again in the chair she had taken earlier, looking around to see if Ginny was nearby.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, turning her attention back to the boy.

"I know," he nodded as though agreeing with her though she hadn't said anything. "It's weird to be here, in a Slytherin house. For all we know there could be death eaters hidden in the attic or something. I've been uncomfortable all night." Alessa's eyes narrowed the longer he talked.

"I can guarantee there are no death eaters in the attic," she said sharply. She didn't know a lot of Slytherins, but her cousin was one of the nicest people she knew, and his friends weren't that bad either, for the most part.

"Yeah, they'd probably prefer the basement," Dean said laughing, not hearing the change in Alessa's voice. Suddenly she had an idea.

She leaned in towards him and looked over her shoulder as if she was about to tell a secret.

"Do you want to go look?" She whispered to him, watching his eyes widen in fear and excitment.

"No way! What if Zabini caught us? He'd probably murder us," Dean whispered back, looking over his shoulder at the last place her cousin had been.

"Oh," she said, leaning back and sighing in fake disappointment. "I just thought it would be a cool adventure, but if you are scared, then we'd better not."

"I'm not scared," Dean said, standing up suddenly. "Come on, lets go." He grabbed her hand and pulled her up. Alessa waved her wand at a nearby table where a bunch of scrap paper sat. The quill jumped up and started scribbling on a sheet quickly.

_"Come to the basement, and try to act really angry. I need to teach someone a lesson. ~A"_

She sent the paper zooming off to find Blaise, then hurried to follow Dean out of the room. She caught up to him in front of the door that led downstairs. The old mansion did have dungeons in the basement, but they were mostly used as storage these days. Alessa followed Dean down the stairs, making sure the door shut behind her. They had made it all the way to the back of the room, looking inside each cell to see that they were empty. Dean sighed, relaxing slightly, and turned back to her.

"Well, no death eaters," he smirked at her, then the blood drained out of his face as he spotted someone over her shoulder. "Shit," he yelled, lifting his wand.

"Expelliarmus," came Blaise's voice, and Alessa's wand followed Dean's to land in Blaise's out stretched hand. She whipped around to see him walking toward them. He grabbed her wrist, holding his wand out towards Dean, a snarl on his face. He looked quite deranged and Alessa had to suppress a laugh.

"What do you think you are doing down here?" Blaise said in a cold voice, slowly stalking closer to Dean, dragging Alessa along.

"N-Nothing," Dean stuttered, backing away from them. "We were just-"

"Just snooping around down here, looking for prisoners?" Blaise asked, advancing on him slowly. "Maybe you would like to see the inside of a cell up close then?"

"N-No no, we were just lost, I swear," Dean said, taking another step back.

"I'm sure," Blaise said sarcastically, pulling Alessa along as he took another step towards Dean. Dean, unknowingly, was backing right into an open cell. Two more steps and Blaise slammed the door on him. Dean screamed shrilly, and started yelling nonsense as Blaise pulled Alessa out of earshot.

"What did he do?" Blaise asked quietly, looking her over quickly. "Did he hurt you?"

"No way," Alessa said, laughing under her breath, but touched by his concern. "No, he was just being a biased git."

"Nice. Um, do you have any idea where the keys are for those doors?" Blaise asked sheepishly. Alessa laughed loudly this time, her voice echoing around the room.

"Alessa?" Dean called, his face pressed against the bars of the cell door, squinting into the darkness. "What's going on?"

Alessa plucked her wand from Blaise's hand, lighting the tip of it before walking back to the cell with Blaise, who was grinning now.

"You set me up," Dean accused, glancing from face to face as they approached the cell with identical grins, drawing the similarities between their features to notice.

"Well you called my family death eaters, I had to do something to defend my name," she retaliated, laughing as his eyes widened, looking between her and Blaise, who was laughing now too.

"No, no, let him think I'm a death eater, I love it when people are scared of me," Blaise said, throwing Dean's wand to him through the bars.

"Let me out," Dean demanded, glaring at the two of them.

"Well we would," Blaise said slowly, exchanging a look with Alessa. "But neither of us know where the keys are. You will have to wait until my Grandmother come's home, she would know," Blaise said, finally getting his laughing under control.

"Well when is she coming back?" Dean demanded.

"Since her and my mother are on vacation to Italy until the end of next week, I'd say you have a while to wait," Blaise said, laughing again, then pulled Alessa after him, leaving the room as Dean screamed behind them.

"How long should we leave him down there?" Blaise asked as they climbed the stairs together.

"Maybe a half hour?" Alessa said, shrugging, not concerned. She knew where the keys for the estate were kept, and she guessed that the dungeon keys would be in the same place. As the basement door closed, Ginny ran up to her.

"There you are," She said, reaching them. "Where's Dean?"

Alessa and Blaise glanced at each other, than said "Bathroom" at the same time, then grinned identically.

"Okay, whatever," Ginny said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Anyway, I'm going to head home, Harry said he would look after his godson tonight, and he's probably having a really bad time of it, the kid is a terror sometimes."

Alessa said goodbye to Ginny, then wandered upstairs to find the keys. If Ginny wasn't here anymore, then Alessa could go home without getting an earful about it the next day.

The doors upstairs were all locked so that guests didn't wander up there, but since Alessa had Zabini blood in her, the wards recognized her as family and let her open the office door. She quickly located the key she wanted, and hurried back down to the basement again. Dean was still yelling.

"Oh shut up, I have the keys," Alessa said crossly, a headache forming.

"About time," Dean snapped. "This was the worst date I've ever had."

"Good, I have no interest in someone as prejudiced as you. You're worse than those pureblood supremacists," she said, unlocking the door. Dean sputtered some nonsense about joking, then pushed passed her and practically ran up the stairs.

Alessa located Blaise, giving him the keys and telling him she was heading out. He hugged her around the shoulders, then returned to his conversation.

It was only ten when Alessa walked through her door, but she didn't have enough energy to do anything more than wipe off her makeup and shed her costume before she fell into bed, passing out in her jeans and tank top.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Third attempt

Alessa flipped the sign on the door to open, then sat on the stool behind the counter filing her nails. She was willing to bet everything in all of her Gringotts accounts that Ginny would be coming by shortly. Alessa was actually surprised she hadn't seen Ginny yet. Less than thirty seconds later, Alessa caught a glimpse of Ginny stomping down the road toward the shop. She winked at George who was sitting nearby working on paperwork, then turned back to her nails.

"Alessa Sarati," Ginny growled as she slammed the door behind her. "How could you do that?"

Alessa didn't look at her, she instead held her hand out in front of her, looking at her nails.

"Well, I chipped a nail yesterday and it really bothers me when they aren't all even," Alessa said, frowning in concern at her nails. George stifled a laugh.

"Not that!" Ginny yelled, stalking up to the counter and slapping her hands down. "You locked him in a dungeon!"

"Who?" George asked, finally looking up from his paperwork.

"Her date!" Ginny cried. "Why would you do that, Alessa?!"

"Oh him," Alessa said breezily. "Well, he wasn't really my type." George burst out laughing, and Alessa had to try very hard to keep the grin off her face. She held her hand out toward Ginny. "Do you think these are even?" She asked in an obviously fake worried tone.

"ALESSA!" Ginny screamed. "Can you please take this seriously! I'm trying my hardest to find a guy for you and you are just blowing them all off." Alessa sighed and lowered her hand.

"He called Blaise a death eater and implied that anyone related to him was also a death eater. I was just doing society a favor by pointing out the error in his thinking," Alessa said straight faced, looking at Ginny. Ginny covered her face with her hands, groaning.

"Okay," She said at last, glaring at Alessa. "We are going out for lunch on Monday. As a GROUP, since you apparently need supervision. You're coming too George," Ginny said, leaving no room for argument, then stalked out of the shop, slamming the door again. Alessa and George both burst out laughing. Finally, when she had calmed down, Alessa started stocking the shelves and doing the normal opening chores.

The weekend flew by, and before she knew it, Alessa found herself in her bedroom trying on different clothes for her 'lunch date'. Ginny hadn't said whether it would be casual or fancy, So Alessa was looking for something in between. She finally settled on a light blue sundress, with black leggings to go underneath it, and a black jacket on top, since the day was chilly. Finally, she grabbed her purse and left her flat, not bothering to put on makeup or take her hair out of it's usual braid. She met Ginny, Harry and George behind the Leakey Cauldron, then let Ginny apparate them to the restaurant she had chosen.

"I'm surprised we don't all weigh five hundred pound at the rate you drag us out to eat," Alessa grumbled to Ginny as the four entered the restaurant. The inside was decorated in a homey fashion, making Alessa relax a little, knowing she wouldn't be under or over dressed.

Ginny just slapped her arm. She was still upset at the turn Alessa's last date had taken. A hostess led them to a large, square table that could seat eight, though no one else from their party had showed up yet. Ginny pushed Alessa into a seat on one side, then pushed George into the seat across from Alessa, leaving the ones directly next to her empty. Harry and Ginny took the seats adjacent to George, no doubt so Ginny could keep an whatever Alessa said or did. Alessa sighed, not looking forward to the night ahead of her.

The only conversation at the table was between George and Harry, about quidditch, which Ginny surprisingly didn't join in on, preferring to glare at Alessa as they waited for the others.

"I promise to behave if you stop glaring at me," Alessa said, taking a sip of water from the cup a waitress had just set down in front of her.

"Fine, but I will be watching you," Ginny promised, turning her eyes toward Harry. Alessa sighed again, then turned to see George watching her. She stuck her tongue out at him and he chuckled.

Nearly five minutes later, Neville arrived, trailing Luna behind him. They took the two open seats across from Harry and Ginny, with Luna siting closest to Alessa, who smiled, glad to have someone to talk to besides her supposed date. A few minutes after that, a girl showed up, which Alessa recognized as either Katie Bell or Angelina Johnson, she wasn't sure which, and Ginny directed her to the empty chair beside George. Nearly fifteen minutes passed, Alessa had listened to a story Luna had told her, and now both girls were listening to Neville regale a moment in his fifth year on the train when he had accidentally caused a Mimbulus Mimbletonia to explode in the carriage. Everyone at the table laughed as he finished his story, and Alessa was beginning to hopefully think that her date was a no show, when another person joined them, taking the empty seat next to her.

"Alessa, the is Seamus Finnigan, Seamus, this is Alessa Sarati," Ginny said. With the introductions out of the way, Ginny turned back to the others, starting up the story of her tryouts. Alessa still hadn't told her what Blaise had said, about England wanting to sign her. She figured it would make a better surprise to Ginny when she got it in the post.

"Hi," Seamus said, sticking out his hand to shake Alessa's. "Did Ginny drag you along to this too?" He asked quietly so Ginny couldn't hear him.

"Yeah, she has been for the last few weeks," Alessa said.

"She's been trying to set me up since my birthday two years ago," Seamus said, laughing. He spoke with a strong Irish accent which made it a little hard to understand him when he talked quietly. "To be honest, I'm not really looking for anyone to date."

"Me neither," Alessa said, laughing with relief. Seamus chuckled too.

"Well, we can just be friends then, yeah?" He said, picking up his menu.

"Sure, that would be great," Alessa said, smiling.

The lunch passed with most conversation occurring between the 'couples' that occupied each side of the table. Alessa found that Seamus was actually good friends with her last date, Dean, and when he admitted that Dean had warned him that she was insane, they both laughed making Ginny look over at them and nod in approval. Seamus said he could understand how Dean could annoy someone into locking him in the basement, and proceeded to tell her about all the times throughout school that Dean had accidentally blown things up.

Throughout the lunch, Alessa had glanced over at George a few times. He was mostly just pushing his food around his plate and avoiding the glances the girl next to him sent his way. He caught her eye on a glance up and she lifted an eyebrow in question. He shrugged in response. George had been a lot better the past few weeks, spending more time in the shop rather than hiding upstairs or downstairs, and he had gone to nearly all the things Ginny invited him to, which she had said was something that never used to happen. Now however, he seemed to be withdrawing back into himself. The depression hadn't faded, and Alessa hadn't expected it to in only a few short weeks, but she was still disheartened to feel it making itself known again.

"So Alessa, I know a few months ago you were talking about moving to Diagon Alley," Ginny said, raising her voice so the whole table could hear. "Whatever happened to that plan?"

"Oh," Alessa shrugged, glancing at George. "I just never found an apartment I'd like to live in by myself." George ducked his head to hide his smile.

"Well, Seamus here is looking for a new roommate. He lives in a flat a few blocks from the shop, I think you would like the place," Ginny said airily. Seamus looked awkward.

"Oh, er, well," he stuttered. "I'm not sure it's a fit place for a girl to live, you know. I'm not really that clean."

"Why don't you just move into my flat?" George said suddenly, making the group look at him. "I mean, I have an empty room in the flat, and it's right above the shop. Seems like that would make sense." George winked, when everyone turned to look back at Alessa.

"Hm," Alessa said, pretending to think about it. "Well I guess that makes sense, as long as you don't mind sharing your place," she said, glancing at Ginny out of the corner of her eye.

"No problem," George said, suppressing a laugh. Ginny growled, glaring at the two of them. Seamus looked relieved.

As soon as Neville and Luna said they had to be off, everyone else stood too.

"I'll walk back with you George," Alessa said as everyone left the restaurant. "I think I left my coat there yesterday."

"Okay, bye you guys," George said, waving a the group.

"It was nice meeting you Seamus," Alessa said, shaking his hand again, then she turned around and walked with George down the street to the apparition point.

Back at the shop, Alessa broke out laughing. "Did you see Ginny? I'm surprised steam wasn't coming out of her ears."

George laughed too as he unlocked the door to the flat.

"Do you think we've let her stew enough yet?" He asked, shrugging off his coat and throwing it over the back of a chair.

"I dunno," Alessa shrugged. "Maybe we can just let her find out on her own now."

"On her own?" He asked, settling into the couch.

"Yeah, like, not purposely hide anything, but not outright tell her either," Alessa said making herself comfortable next to him.

"Sure." George said. "Did you actually leave your coat here or was that just an excuse to leave with me?"

"Just an excuse, though I'm sure I have a coat around here somewhere," Alessa said, gesturing toward the spare room that she had slowly been filling with her things. She had brought her television over last week, since George was enamored by it, and had showed him how to turn everything on and set up a movie, and she was surprised he ever left the living room now. He hadn't wired the building for muggle electricity when he had bought it, so Alessa had figured out some very clever charms to get everything working, using the charm Hermione had used on the cell phone as inspiration.

"Want to watch a movie?" George asked, plopping down next to her.

"Sure, which one?" Alessa asked, getting up to kneel in front of the box that contained all the muggle movies she had purchased since learning how to use a television.

"It doesn't matter," George shrugged. Alessa grabbed one at random and popped it into the movie player, then went to sit back on the couch. The movie turned out to be quite frightening, George flinching almost as often as Alessa did. George had put his arm behind her, resting on the back of the sofa at the beginning of the movie, and now Alessa leaned against him, turning her face into his chest at the very gory parts of the movie.

"I'm glad we left the lights on," Alessa muttered into George's chest as the movie ended.

"Me too. Muggle's are very…" he paused, searching for the right word. "realistic." Alessa nodded.

"I didn't know that would be scary, the pictures didn't look that bad," Alessa explained, still leaning on George.

"Well if it ends with you on my lap every time we should watch a few more," George said in a suggestive tone, grinning. Alessa hit his arm lightly, still not looking up from his chest, and she closed her eyes, snuggling closer to him. She liked being this close. She could hear his heart beating under her ear, and he was very warm. His arms wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her closer, and he rested his head on top of hers. They sat that was for a long time, just enjoying the silence.

"So what was with that girl you sat with today?" Alessa asked, finally breaking the comfortable silence.

"That was Katie, you've met her before haven't you? Her and Ginny are friends so she gets dragged out with us all a lot," George said, not moving from their position.

"No, I know who she is," Alessa said, eyes still closed. "I meant, what is your history with her," Alessa clarified.

"What makes you think I have history with her," George asked. Alessa lifted her head at last, scooting back to look at him.

"Well, you could say that I'm good at reading people," Alessa said sarcastically, then she became serious again. "But actually I just noticed that she was glancing at you often throughout the meal. I just guessed that there might have been something there."

"Oh," George said, then sighed. "Well she was on the Gryffindor quidditch team with me when we were in school…"

"And?" Alessa prodded when he paused for too long.

"We went to the yule ball together during sixth year. And we sort of dated in seventh year, before Fred and I left," George said, sighing again.

"Oh," Alessa said, snuggling back into him. "Bad breakup?" She asked sympathetically.

"Well actually," George started, then cleared his throat awkwardly. "We never really broke up." Alessa lifted her head slowly to stare at him. "It was just hectic, with the war and everything," he continued hurriedly, defending himself. "And then afterward I stopped talking to everyone. So we never really had an official break up or anything."

Alessa raised an eyebrow. "So technically I am dating a taken man?"

"I think she got the idea that we were over when I didn't speak to her for two years," George said, rolling his eyes.

"You should talk to her," Alessa said, getting to her feet.

"Why?" George asked, watching her from his seat.

"So that she knows for sure," Alessa said.

"Jealous?" George asked, grinning up at her.

"I don't share," Alessa said, the corner of her mouth lifting. "Also, it's the polite thing to do."

"Alright. Next time we all go out together I'll say something," he said.

"Did you love her?" Alessa asked curiously, tilting her head.

"I don't know. Maybe I might have at one time, I'm not really sure," George answered honestly, watching her face.

"Just wondering," Alessa said, then picked up the jacket she had thrown on top of George's earlier.

"Are you leaving?" George asked, standing to follow her to the door.

"Yeah, I need to do some more packing, and I'm supposed to have dinner with my Aunt, she just got back from Italy last night," Alessa explained, shrugging on her jacket then turning to face him. She stood up on her toes to give him a peck on the lips. She had meant it to be a quick kiss, but he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in and deepening the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, lacing her fingers through his hair to hold him in place. Suddenly she found her back pushed against the wall as he trapped her. He lifted one hand to her face, cupping her cheek gently as he pressed himself against her. Finally he drew away, breathing hard. He rested his forehead against hers, still holding her against the wall with his body. She was breathing just as hard as he was, her cheeks flushed with warmth.

He drew away slowly, watching as she finally opened her eyes. He leaned in again to kiss her lightly on the mouth.

"See you tomorrow," he whispered. She smiled at him, then left the flat, glad of the chilly air that cooled her still burning skin.

Dinner that night was casual, Alessa's aunt had chosen a little muggle cafe, and they settled down in a booth with their food to talk for the first time in over a month.

"How was Italy?" Alessa asked, sipping her soda.

"Wonderful. I grew up there you know. It wasn't until I got married that I moved to England. I still miss Italy sometimes," she sighed longingly.

"Why not move back then?" Alessa wondered.

"I'm supposed to be here," she said, giving Alessa a look as if to say she should understand that. Alessa nodded, knowing her aunt was most likely referring to the phenomenon called The Pull.

They ate in silence for a few moments, Alessa pushing her food around her plate as she thought.

"What is bothering you, child?" Her aunt asked, watching her.

"Well, I told you that I am dating someone right?" Alessa asked, waiting for her aunt to nod before continuing. "What if I'm only dating him because of the Pull? What if it wants me to fall in love with him, but I can't?" Alessa asked, letting out her insecurities. "What if I want to fall in love with him, but the Pull doesn't let me? What if… what if anything I could feel for him is just fake, just part of the Pull?"

"The Pull doesn't make you fall in love. It doesn't control your feelings, dear. It only gives you a push in the right direction. It's your choice whether or not you develop feelings for someone. The Pull only brings you toward someone who needs you, whether they need you as a friend or as a lover or as a caretaker, the Pull doesn't differentiate," her aunt said softly, sipping her tea.

"It won't make me feel things that aren't real?" Alessa asked, looking up hopefully. She had been afraid of letting herself develop any deep feelings towards George, because she wanted anything she felt to be coming from her, not from some pre destined decision of fate or something.

"Not at all. It's only like a hint to a question. It gives you an idea, but you still have to figure the problem out for yourself," her aunt said, leaning back in her booth.

The two women finished their meal in silence, Alessa with a sense of relief. As they were leaving the cafe, Alessa accidentally bumped into a tall, bulky man who was heading to the door at the same time.

"I'm sorry," Alessa said, standing back to let the man leave first. He nodded at her, walking out the door, pulling his black coat further around him.

"Let's do some window shopping," Alessa's aunt said once they reached the street. "I love some of the weird things these muggles come up with." Alessa agreed, and they spent the next hour walking up and down the street, looking in the muggle shop windows.

Finally, when a brisk wind began to blow, they said farewell, walking into a darkened alleyway to apparate home. As Alessa spun on the spot, she had a split second view of the same man in a dark coat she had bumped into earlier, standing in the opening of the alleyway. He was looking away from them, so Alessa hoped that he hadn't seen them disappearing into thin air. She reasoned with herself that the unlit alleyway was dark enough that he wouldn't have seen anything even if he had been looking, so she put him out of her mind. She still had a lot of packing to do even though she had finished sorting through her books at last. She decided to start with the rest of her clothes.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Christmas Cheer

"So Christmas is in four days," Ginny said, following Alessa around the store as she stocked shelves. Ginny had agreed to come back and work at the shop over the Christmas holidays. She was due to start quidditch training after winter break. The manager of the England team had written to her nearly a month ago, to tell her that she was signed for the team for the following year provided she excelled in training. If they thought she still needed work, they would continue her training throughout the season and put her in the following year. Ginny had been ecstatic at first, but she had become progressively nervous as the training time came nearer.

"Yes, I know, you have been giving me a countdown for the last two weeks, Ginny," Alessa said as she arranged a shelf.

"Well, I'm just letting you know how many days you have left to find me a present," Ginny said, picking up a few products and helping Alessa fill the shelf. The store was due to open in five minutes, and as soon as they unlocked the door, the shop would be flooded with students buying gifts or stocking up before returning to school.

"Ginny, I already got you a present. Will you stop bothering me now?" Alessa asked.

"Oooh you did?" Ginny asked excitedly, scooting closer to Alessa. "What is it? Give me a hint!"

"No," Alessa said, turning away from her. She caught George's eye from where he stood at the counter, filling out some paperwork of some kind. He smirked at her, knowing that Ginny was bothering her again. She rolled her eyes at him, then turned back to finish filling the shelf.

Alessa had grown a lot closer to George over the last two months. She had officially moved above the shop, and nearly every night, she made dinner and watched a movie with George. Afterwords they would talk, sometimes about the movie or their day, sometimes about their past, or about what they wanted to do in the future.

While that aspect of their relationship had bloomed, the physical aspect had been going quite slowly. Sure there had been multiple heated kisses, and many nights they ended up sleeping in the same bed, but whenever anything would progress past their unspoken boundary of 'kissing only' George would draw away. Alessa tried to respect his privacy by not focusing too hard on his emotions, but sometimes she just wanted to know what he was so afraid of.

Alessa had managed to avoid any further date setups from Ginny, but the girl had yet to figure out that Alessa and George were now dating, though they hadn't hid anything, and there had been multiple times when Ginny had nearly walked in on them kissing. Alessa thought it was hilarious how much the young witch could miss when she wasn't looking for it.

"Please? Just a little hint. Did you buy it or make it?" Ginny asked, bouncing on her heels.

"Both, now go away," Alessa said, watching as Ginny huffed, then turned on her heel, her red hair nearly hitting Alessa in the face.

The workday passed by quickly as crowds of student aged kids came and went, some of them with parents, others just with friends. They milled about, picking up items, asking questions about how certain things worked, and talking with each other about possible uses they could have for any given item. Finally, eight o'clock rolled around, and Alessa and Ginny had to stroll through the still crowded shop letting people know that they were closing, so they had better make their purchases or come back tomorrow. The shop would be closed on christmas eve, christmas day, and boxing day, which left only one more day for people to purchase from the shop before the holiday. All three of the workers expected the next day to be very busy, so they spent an extra hour that night stocking shelves and making sure that tomorrow morning would go smoothly.

"Alessa, could you come get a cup of tea with me please?" Ginny asked, as they prepared to be done for the night. "We need to have some girls only time," she continued.

"Sure," Alessa said. "I'll bring back some dinner for you," she called over her shoulder to George who waved them on, claiming that he was capable of feeding himself at which both girls laughed disbelievingly.

They went next door, both ordering the same kind of tea, before settling down in a booth. It had snowed one week into November, and had continued snowing throughout most of December, leaving large piles of snow in between the buildings, and despite having heating charms placed around the shop, it was quite chilly in the building most of the time. The flat had a fireplace which managed to keep it warm most of the time, but Alessa drank tea often throughout the day, just to have something warm to sip on in the shop where there was no fireplace.

"So what's this all about?" Alessa asked after a few moments.

"I want to ask a favor of you," Ginny said quietly. "My mother always has a big gathering for Christmas dinner each year, and as you know, George has had little contact with the rest of my family for the last two years, and I really think it would make my mother happy to have George there for the holidays, even if it is just for a little bit, and I've tried inviting him, but he told me no. I was hoping you could maybe talk to him and just help him to see that we all miss him."

Alessa sat back and sighed. She had brought up the topic of Christmas a few times, asking what George was doing for the holidays, and each time he had said he would rather just have dinner with her and watch a movie, like their normal nights. She understood the want for a quiet holiday, but that was because she had spent all of her Christmas's with either just her parents, or just her Aunt and cousin, as Blaise's mother was usually off somewhere else, like she was for most of the year.

"I can try to talk to him, but I don't know what good it'll do," Alessa said. The hesitated before adding "I've already brought up the subject. He seems set on staying at home."

Ginny sighed sadly. "I didn't expect him to agree, I just thought that maybe if he heard it from someone else, he might reconsider it."

"I'll try," Alessa said again. "But don't tell your mother, we wouldn't want to get her hopes up if he refuses. What time is your dinner?"

"It starts at seven, but almost everyone always gets there early to help set up and catch up with everyone. It's quite a large family gathering, and with Percy and I both getting married this year, we will have even more people there."

"Gosh, Ginny, how many brothers do you have? I thought there was only Ron and George!" Alessa asked, laughing.

"I have six brothers," Ginny said, laughing as Alessa's jaw dropped, then she frowned. "Well, five now."

They both sobered and sipped their tea in silence.

"I'm really glad I became friends with you Alessa. It seems like so much has happened this year, and I'm glad you are a part of it," Ginny said, looking at her lap.

"You know, before I met you I didn't really have any friends besides maybe my cousin," Alessa said, smiling at the younger girl. "I'm glad I met you too."

"Of course you are," Ginny said smirking, breaking the slightly sentimental mood of the situation. "No one else would be as fun as I am."

"Too right," Alessa said, finishing her tea. "Well, I should find some food for George, you know he will probably burn anything he tries to make."

"I know," Ginny said chuckling. "I'm glad you are looking after him too." Ginny said, looking at Alessa. "He looks like he is doing better, now that he is eating enough. I was so worried about him," Ginny said, looking down again. "He and Fred were always close, they were together constantly, and seeing one without the other is like seeing someone who's been torn in half. George looked like a ghost for such a long time after the war. He just sort of drifted along, not caring about anything. And there were times when something funny would happen, or something interesting, and George would look over his shoulder, expecting to share the moment with Fred only to find him not there, and the look on his face when that happened, it was like he was watching Fred die all over again. It was terrible. I thought he'd never get over it." Ginny kept her face down, but Alessa could see a couple tears dripping into her lap. "He used to drink all the time too, trying to forget I think." Ginny said, wiping her eyes on her coat sleeves. "The rest of us had each other to lean on and help us, but George just locked himself away, he didn't have anyone to help him cope. I'm glad that he seems to be opening up a little bit. I don't know if it's because of you living there now or not, maybe he is putting more effort into life because someone is around him now and he can't go sulk alone, or maybe it's just been long enough that he is coming out of it on his own. But either way, I'm so glad you are there Alessa."

Alessa stood up and pulled Ginny out of her seat into a hug.

"I'm glad I can help, even if it's not me that's doing anything," Alessa said quietly, leaning her head on Ginny's shoulder. The two pulled apart and chuckled tearfully.

"Sorry, I'm just over emotional during the holidays," Ginny said, making sure her eyes were dry before leaving the cafe with Alessa. On the street they parted ways with another hug, promising to see each other the following day.

Alessa trudged back up the stairs to the flat, thinking about what Ginny had said. She pushed the door open to find George sitting at the table writing.

"What are you working on?" Alessa asked, shrugging off her coat.

"I'm rewriting the stock lists," George said, not looking up. "I'm discontinuing a few things, and I plan on adding a new line of products after the holidays." He wrote for a few more seconds then set his quill down saying "done" in a relieved voice. He waved the parchment in the air to dry the ink, then looked up at her. "Did you bring dinner?"

"Shit, no, I forgot," Alessa said, bringing her hand up to smack her forehead.

"Ginny must have really given you a lot to think about if you forgot food," George said, grinning up at her.

"She did, yeah," Alessa said distractedly as she went to the kitchen to find something for them to eat. George frowned, having not been serious before.

"What did she say?" He asked, watching Alessa pull out some leftover pasta from the day before.

"She wants me to talk to you about your family's Christmas dinner," Alessa said, placing a warming charm on the pasta and putting it in front of him on the table before turning back to get some plates.

"I'm not going," George frowned. "I told you I wasn't."

"I know, and I told her that. I was actually just wondering why exactly you don't want to go," Alessa said, sitting down across from him.

"You know why," George muttered, putting some food on his plate, and picking up his fork.

"No, actually, I don't," Alessa said, following his lead and putting food onto her plate.

"I just don't think that having dinner with the whole family is a good idea," George said, keeping his eyes on his plate.

"That's not everything though," Alessa prodded, twirling a few noodles around her fork. George sighed, setting is fork down on his plate with a small clink.

"Christmas was Fred's favorite holiday," He said quietly, still not looking at her. "It just won't feel right to be there when he… isn't."

Alessa nodded. "I bet the rest of your family felt the same way for a while. I know for a fact that Ginny did."

"I know." George said, picking up his fork and using it to push his food around his plate, just like Alessa did when she had something on her mind.

"What is it?" Alessa asked.

"It's just, even if I wanted to go, which I don't, what could I say to justify completely alienating my family for the last two years?" He asked, his voice raising in a slight panic at the thought.

"That everyone deals with loss differently, and that you just needed time to figure everything out on your own and deal with your own feelings before trying to cope with everyone else's too," Alessa suggested. He looked up. "They all know how hard it is to lose someone they love, and I bet for the last few years they have been feeling like they lost you too."

George frowned, setting down his fork again.

"I'm not going," he said after a few minutes of silence.

"And that's fine too," Alessa said, still eating her food. "I just wanted you to think about it a little more."

"I'm not really hungry," George said, standing up. "I think I'm just going to go to bed." Alessa watched him walk partway down the hall.

"Goodnight," she called in a soft, carrying voice, making him pause and turn around. He walked back to her, then leaned down to give her a short kiss.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "I just don't want to think about my family right now."

"It's okay. I'll see you in the morning," Alessa said, smiling slightly.

"Goodnight," he said, then disappeared into his room.

Alessa sighed, finishing her food and returning the rest of the leftovers to the fridge and washed off their plates, then sitting down to write a letter to her aunt asking if she wanted to have lunch on christmas eve this year instead of christmas day. She sent the letter away with her owl, Apollo, who was still delivering letters even though he was over ten years old now. She changed for bed slowly, working the stress of the day out of her muscles as she went through her normal nightly rituals.

* * *

Alessa woke up early the next morning to a tapping on the window. She got up to let the owl in and remove the letter from his leg. Her aunt agreed to the earlier lunch, telling Alessa that she would bring Blaise along, and giving her the name of a wizarding restaurant she wanted to go to.

The sun was just barely over the horizon, but Alessa knew she wouldn't get any more sleep so she went about getting ready for the day. She showered and dressed and had already counted the till for the shop and been to the bank by the time George wandered down the stairs to help her stock the shelves. They worked in silence until Ginny arrived half an hour before the shop was due to open. She looked at Alessa, then glanced at George and back to Alessa, plainly asking how the topic of Christmas dinner had gone. Alessa shook her head minutely and Ginny sighed, going into the back to put her cloak and purse away.

The day was hectic, people asking about things and complaining and yelling over the crowd and each other in excitement, but it passed quickly. Ginny had left briefly to get sandwiches from the cafe and had returned with Harry trailing behind her. He offered to help them through the afternoon since he had finished his own work for the day, and Alessa ran down to the basement to get him an apron which he put on with a grimace.

"I actually hate the color red," he admitted when Alessa had asked what was wrong. He laughed at the look on her face. "Just because I was a Gryffindor doesn't mean I have to like the color. I'm actually more partial to green, but don't tell Ginny or she will start calling me a Slytherin." They both laughed, then got to work. Harry mainly just refilled shelves since he didn't know how to work the register.

Finally at the end of the day, they all sat down in the employee room to relax for a few moments.

"I brought these over for you guys, since I probably won't see you till after the holidays," Ginny said reaching into her over large purse and drawing out two wrapped gifts. "Don't open them now. You have to wait until christmas morning like everyone else does."

"Thank you Ginny," Alessa said, giving a half hug to girl. "I have gifts for you too, but I want to give them to you later."

"Okay, we can stop by on boxing day," Ginny said, standing and stretching. "We'd better get going though, I'm exhausted."

Alessa and George both hugged her and Harry goodbye, then watched as they left the store. That night they ate dinner while watching another movie, and Alessa ended up falling asleep against George who had wrapped his arm around her.

* * *

"George, wake up," Alessa said, throwing his door open and running to open the window to let light into the room. George groaned and put his pillow over his head.

"Five more minutes," he said, muffled by the pillow.

"Nope. Come on, I made breakfast and we have presents to open," she said, pulling the pillow away from him.

"What time is it?" He asked, holding back a yawn.

"Almost noon," Alessa admitted. "I slept in this morning."

"Why are you so hyper?" He groaned, closing his eyes again and leaning back on the mattress.

"I had a lot of coffee," she said, pulling the blanket out of his grip.

"Fine, fine, I'm getting up," he said, curling into a ball on the bed to fend off the chilly air that had settled in the apartment overnight.

George and Alessa ate quickly before making their way to the living room. Alessa had procured a small tree a few days ago, and though it wasn't decorated, they had put the presents Ginny had given them underneath it and yesterday Alessa had added another gift from her to George. The fire in the mantle had warmed the room nicely, and since neither of them had changed out of their pajamas, it was a cozy affair.

"I know what this one is," George said, picking up one of the packages Ginny and given them. "My mother always makes us all sweaters for Christmas." Then he frowned. "I sent back the one she made last year," he said regretfully. Alessa put a hand on his arm and smiled softly. He opened the gift to find a light green sweater with a bright gold G knitted in the front. He smiled fondly. "She always put a G on mine and an F on Fred's, like she thought we would forget our names." He set the sweater down and Alessa grabbed his hand pulling another gift toward him.

"Here, open this one," she said smiling. She watched as he tore the paper off the gift and grinned.

"Where did you get this?" He asked, holding the book up. It was brand new, a plastic film still wrapped around it, making the cover and title shine in the firelight. The book was about tweaking spells to get different affects from them. "It's not even out yet."

"It is when you know where to look," she said smiling. She had actually bribed the publisher to send her one before they were put out for sale next month. George had been talking about the book ever since it was announced, wondering what they would put in it and if it would have anything new for him to try. "I figured it would help you in the new line of product you are putting out."

"Thank you Alessa," he said, leaning over to kiss her. Then he drew back and stood. "I have something for you too. Let me go get it."

He ran back to his room while Alessa unwrapped the gift Ginny had left for her. It was a muggle university book about psychology. Ginny had shared Alessa's interest in the subject to an extent. She was more interested in how muggles described the way the body worked. Alessa smiled, flipping the pages of the book. She hadn't read this one yet, and she was sure that Ginny had picked it for that reason.

George came back into the room holding a long, thin box wrapped clumsily in bright red paper, and handed it to her, sitting beside her.

Alessa tore the paper off gently and lifted the lid of the box carefully. Inside sat a silver chain with a few charms on it. She lifted it out to look at it closer.

"The first one is a castle tower," Gorge explained, taking it from her hands to show her which one he was talking about. "It represents Ravenclaw. The second one is a book," he grinned. "Because you like reading. That one is a mug, it represents that night at the bar when you stayed here the first time, and we kissed." His face was turning red at this point, and Alessa's lips pulled into a grin. "This one is bird, because you said they are your favorite animals. And that one is a heart," he finished, dropping her hands.

"What does it stand for?" She asked, fingering the tiny charm as she watched his face.

"It's… for me," he said, still not looking at her. He plucked at a stray piece of thread sticking up from his pants. Alessa's heart skipped a beat and she drew in a breath feeling her chest constrict in anticipation. "Because I-I-" he stuttered. Alessa took his hands, making him look up at her.

"I love you," she said, looking into his face. Her heart clenched in the seconds it took him to process this, and she had the sudden panicked thought that maybe that isn't what he was going to say at all, and maybe now she was moving too fast and he would push her away again as he had been doing the last couple months. Her face drained of color. "I mean, if that's what you were- I didn't mean to, um, if you meant, I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, trying to pull her hands out of his grasp, but he pulled her in.

"That's what I was going to say," he said calmly and she felt a huge burst of happiness pour from him. She breathed out in relief, smiling. He leaned in to kiss her slowly, his hand coming up to cup the side of her face. Her heart jumped again and she pulled back and grinned up at him. He grinned too, then pulled her in so that she was almost sitting on his lap. He buried his face into her hair and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I've been trying to reason myself out of being in love with you," he said quietly. "Because it's something that I didn't feel like I should be lucky enough to experience. But I can't help it, and I don't want to not be in love with you. You are so perfect," he said, and she could feel his warm breath against the top of her head as he sighed.

"I think I followed that," she said, and she could hear the deep rumbling chuckle build in his chest from where she had her ear pressed against him. His heart was beating furiously against his ribs.

"I've been trying to stay away from you," he said softly, one hand running up and down her back in a soothing pattern. She sighed and closed her eyes. "I was worried that I just saw you as someone who could make me forget about what happened, and I didn't want anything between us to be that way, I wanted it to mean something." Alessa nodded against his chest. He kissed the top of her head. "But I don't want to forget, I understand that everything that happened in the past has made me into who I am now. And the person I am now, loves you, and I don't want that to ever change."

"I was worried too, in the beginning," Alessa said, puling back from him so she could rest her head against his shoulder and still see his face. "There's this thing that's sort of part of my abilities I guess, that my family calls the Pull. It's just some unseen thing that gives me a push in the direction that fate thinks I should go in. It's what led me to the shop in the first place. And I was worried that if I fell in love with you, it would be because fate wanted me to, not because I actually loved you," Alessa said, watching the thoughts play across his face while she talked.

"What changed?" He asked, turning his head so they were face to face. She could feel his breath on her face and repressed the urge to kiss him, instead returning to her explanation.

"My aunt told me that fate doesn't control your emotions, it only nudges you to where you need to be. Anything else I feel comes from me," Alessa said, smiling.

"I don't really understand all that," George said after a few moments of silence. "But as long as it works for you, it's fine with me." She chuckled, then stopped abruptly as he pushed his lips against hers. She twisted around in his lap to better reach his face after a few moments, ending up practically straddling him. The happiness rolling off of both of them was nearly overwhelming, and Alessa sighed into the kiss, moving again. George groaned, breaking the kiss to lean his forehead against hers.

"You need to stop moving," George said breathily. "Unless you want to take this to the bedroom," he joked. Alessa stood, her face just slightly red, and held her hand out to him. He took it, letting her pull him up.

"What are you doing?" He asked and she stood on her toes to kiss him and his hands automatically went to her hips.

"Going to the bedroom," Alessa whispered against his ear, watching his eyes open suddenly as he drew back to look at her for a moment, searching her eyes for something that he must have found because he took her hand and led her down the hallway.

* * *

"What time is it?" George asked sleepily as they both cuddled underneath the covers of his bed where they had resided for most of the afternoon. Alessa lifted her head to look at the clock next to her.

"6:45," she said, tucking her face back into George's shoulder and closing her eyes again.

"Do you think I should, um, go to my mum's dinner?" George asked, his voice losing volume through his question. Alessa lifted her head, propping it up on one arm so she could look at him.

"Do you want to go?" She asked, watching him frown, eyes still closed. He sighed.

"Not really. But I think I should," he said, opening his eyes to look at her.

"Well then you need to get dressed. Ginny said it starts at 7," Alessa said, settling back against the pillow.

"Can you come with me?" George asked in a small voice, making her open her eyes again. She smiled softly.

"Sure, if you want me to," she said.

He grinned, then jumped up to look for something to wear. Alessa watched him move around the room, pulling open drawers and slipping boxers on before he turned back to her.

"Enjoying the view," he asked cheekily.

"Immensely," she replied, grinning wolfishly, making the back of his neck turn red.

"Go get dressed," he said as he searched through his closet for something suitable to wear. She slipped out of the bed quietly when he had his back turned, and by the time he turned around she had already donned her underwear and bra. She heard him huff out a breath of disappointment and laughed at him as she left the room to find something to wear.

She settled on black slacks and a nice dark blue sweater. She spent a few minutes applying a little bit of makeup, but her hair was horribly messed as she had never braided it that morning and her afternoon activities had tangled it further. She tried brushing it out for a moment, then gave up and twisted it up into a messy bun at the back of her head. She made sure her wand was tucked into her sleeve, then she grabbed the gifts she had gotten for Ginny and Harry, tucking them into her coat pockets and pulling the coat over her shoulders. She walked out to the living room, making sure to douse the fire before they left. At the last second she noticed the discarded gifts from earlier. She secured the bracelet around her wrist, then hesitated before grabbing the sweater George's mother had sent him and draping it over her arm. George emerged from his room wearing practically the same thing she was, black dress pants and a dark blue t-shirt under his black cloak.

"Ready?" She asked, watching him run his fingers nervously through his hair.

"I guess so," he said, frowning slightly.

"Hey," Alessa said, grabbing his hand as he raised it to run through his hair again. "It'll be fine. And we can leave any time you want to."

"I know," George said, sighing. Then he smiled, resolving himself. "Let's go."

They walked down Diagon Alley to the apparition point, then Alessa grabbed his arm as George brought them to his childhood home.

The loud crack was heard over the talk at the dinner table, causing a slight panic as the family hadn't been expecting anyone who wasn't already there.

"Arthur," Mrs. Weasley said after a brief hush fell over the table. "Can you go check the yard please?"

"Sure dear," Arthur said, standing, and nodding at Harry and Ron as they stood too. Both boys had finished the Auror training, so he felt better having them at his back if trouble did arise. They walked through the door, peering into the darkness for a few seconds as the table behind them waited in silence.

"George!" Aurther shouted happily from the porch, making George lift his head as they walked and squeeze Alessa's hand tighter.

"Here," Alessa said, pulling them to a stop. "Give me your cloak and put this on," she held out the sweater she had grabbed earlier. George looked at her for a moment, then did as she said, and the two walked up to Arthur who pulled George into a tight hug. Alessa smiled watching them. She knew George was worried they would be angry, but if his father had this reaction she figured the others would be happy too. She followed George and the others back inside, shutting the door behind her.

The room was silent for a few moments, then Mrs. Weasley burst into tears, rushing around the table to pull her son into a tight hug.

"Mum," George said, patting her on the back awkwardly. "Don't cry."

She pulled away wiping her eyes.

"I'm sorry dear, it's just so good to see you," she said, then pulled him in for another tight hug.

"Let the boy breath, Molly," Mr. Weasley said, coming over to put a hand on his wifes back as she pulled away from him.

"Are you staying for dinner?" Mrs. Weasley asked, wiping her eyes again.

"We would like to," George said, glancing at Alessa who had gone unnoticed until then. "If that's alright."

"Of course it's alright," Mrs. Weasley said. "And who is this?" Alessa stepped forward, her coat and George's draped over her arm. Mr. Weasley took them from her, giving her a nod of welcome.

"You've met Alessa before, she was at Ginny's wedding," George said, grabbing Alessa's hand and pulling her toward him.

"Oh yes of course dear, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you," She said, pulling them over to two empty chairs that Mr. Weasley had put next to her. "And you convinced George to come tonight I suppose," she said, and Alessa nodded, then let out a surprised squeak as Mrs. Weasley pulled her in for a hug.

"Actually, I brought her to introduce her properly," George said, and Alessa looked at him questioningly. "Alessa is my girlfriend, we've been dating for almost four months now."

"WHAT!" Ginny screeched as she stood up, reminding Alessa that there were other people in the room, all of whom were now staring at Ginny in surprise.

"What's wrong dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked in a surprised voice.

"YOU!" Ginny exclaimed, ignoring the others who were trying to calm her down. "I've been trying to set you up on dates since September! Why didn't you just tell me?" Ginny cried, her face turning red in frustration. George and Alessa looked at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing, confusing everyone else at the table.

"Oh that," George said sitting down and pulling Alessa into the chair beside him.

"That was payback for waking me up at 6am every day last summer," Alessa said, repressing a smile. Ginny sputtered for a moment, then sat down hard in her chair.

Everyone around the table chuckled, and suddenly the atmosphere lightened and everything was back to normal. Food was passed around and everyone at the table was introduced to Alessa. After the meal, Alessa helped Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, and Ginny carry plates to the kitchen. Ginny was still fuming silently, but Hermione and Mrs. Weasley kept up the conversation while the dishes were washed.

"Alessa," Mrs. Weasley called as the other two girls rejoined the rest in the living room. Alessa turned around only to be pulled into another hug. "I just wanted to say thank you for taking care of my son," she said, and cut Alessa's protests off. "You helped him come back to his family, and I will forever be grateful for that."

Alessa didn't really know what to say, so she settled for hugging the other woman back for a moment.

"I didn't make him come back you know, I just helped him to realize that he needs you all as much as you need him," Alessa said, drawing back from the hug. They exchanged smiles before joining the rest of the family in the living room. Finally people started to leave, mostly in pairs. Bill and Fluer were the first to go, saying that Fluer, who looked to be about seven months pregnant, needed to sleep. Shortly afterwords, Ron and Hermione left, followed by Charlie and Percy and his wife Penelope. Finally, George and Alessa were standing on the front porch with Harry and Ginny, saying goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. As the four walked down to the appartion point, Alessa remembered the gifts she had for them.

"Here," Alessa said, holding out the two small packages. Harry opened his first, the laughed as he pulled out a Slytherin scarf, complete with the embossed snake on the bottom of it. Ginny gave him a look, and he responded with an 'I'll tell you later' look. Ginny hadn't talked to Alessa or George since they and arrived, but she still took the gift from Alessa and tore off the paper, tucking it into her pocket so it didn't blow away in the slight wind. Then she opened the little box and lifted out the necklace. It was made of a clear teardrop shaped gem fastened to a thin silver chain.

"It's beautiful," Ginny said finally, turning it over in her hands.

"It does more," Alessa said, grinning. "I charmed it so that if you hold it in both hands and envision a color, it will change to match it. I got the idea from those gems that change color if they are warm or cold."

Ginny threw her arms around Alessa and the two boys took a few steps away and started up a conversation, knowing that the two girls would want to talk.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier," Ginny said as she pulled back from the hug. "And I'm sorry for waking you up early all summer."

"I'm sorry for not telling you about George earlier," Alessa replied, smiling.

"I'm really glad you are going out with him," Ginny said. "He needs someone like you to help him understand that he still has a life to live."

"Thank you Ginny," Alessa said, hugging her again. "And thank you for the book. I haven't read that one yet."

"Good, I was hoping you hadn't," Ginny said as they rejoined the boys and walked the rest of the way out of the yard to apparate home.

"I'll see you after boxing day then," Ginny said, waving to them.

"Bye," Alessa called, then grabbed George's arm, taking them back to Diagon Alley.

"That went really well," George said as the walked up the stairs to the shop and let themselves in, locking the door behind them.

"I told you it would," Alessa grinned.

"And Ginny's reaction," George said, laughing as they went upstairs.

"It was perfect. She's the perfect person to prank. She has exactly the right reactions every time," Alessa agreed, closing the door behind her and taking off her coat, then kicking off her boots before walking farther into the flat.

"Come on," George said, taking her hand. "Let's go to bed." Alessa smiled and followed him down the hallway.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: Love in the Air

"I think you should hire a new employee," Alessa said one morning as they prepared to open the store. It was the beginning of February, and just barely starting to warm up outside. Not enough to melt any of the copious amounts of snow that had fallen in the last two months, but it was no longer blisteringly cold out. With the slightly warmer weather came a slightly steadier flow of customers.

"I was thinking that too," George said, arranging a pile of paperwork on the counter. "We need to start training someone for the summer season." Then he looked up at her. "Or did you mean that you want to leave so I should hire someone to replace you?"

"Well," Alessa began hesitantly. George had been so much better over that last month, not once falling into a depression again. She didn't want to reverse any of the progress he had made so far. "I'm not leaving per say. I was just thinking about taking some classes at a muggle university next fall. Hermione has been helping me look at curriculums for nearby schools, and I think I found one that I like. It wouldn't be all the time," she said hastily, watching George frown as she talked. "I'd still be here in the evenings and weekends."

"No, I think it's a good idea," George said. Alessa had been continuously regaling him with random physiological and psychological things that she found interesting in her books for the last month and a half. He didn't understand most of it, but anyone could see Alessa's enjoyment of the subject in the way she talked.

"You do?" Alessa asked in surprise, looking up from her inventory lists.

"Of course. As long as you aren't gone too often of course," he added with a grin in her direction. She smiled. She hadn't slept in her own room since Christmas, using it mainly to store her clothes in since there was limited closet space in both rooms.

"Do you have any idea's on who you want to hire?" Alessa asked, finishing with her list and going over to one of the shelves to start reorganizing it. The new line of products George had released shortly after Christmas contained multiple types of powders and small glass vials full of liquids, both of which changed the color of either someones hair or skin temporarily. It was great watching people burst in with abnormally colored hair and skin, demanding an antidote because their child had slipped it into their food without them noticing. With all the small containers, Alessa had a job and a half keeping them in the right areas on the shelf so that people were getting the colors they wanted instead of a different one by mistake.

"Well actually, I might have an idea, but I don't think you will like her," George said, glancing up from the shelf he had been restocking.

"Her?" Alessa asked politely, not looking up.

"Well, Katie has been out of work since the clothing store she used to work at went out of business last month," George explained, watching Alessa arrange the shelf in silence. While it was true that Alessa had been a little jealous of the girl at first, she trusted George, and the few times she had talked to Katie proved that she wasn't the type to try to get together with someone who was with someone else.

"I don't dislike Katie," Alessa said at last. "I don't really know that much about her, but she seems smart. You should ask her if she'd like the job."

"You're okay with that?" George asked, wanting to clarify.

"Of course I am. Unless you are planning on eloping with her or something, then I might have a problem," Alessa said chuckling. George laughed too, then shook his head.

"No way," he said, letting out a breath and returning to his own shelf, shoulders more relaxed.

* * *

"Hi, Katie," Alessa said as she approached the tiny girl a week later. Katie was nearly a foot and a half shorter than George, and she was very slim, but George had said she was very fast on a broom, making an excellent chaser when they had been on the quidditch team together.

"Good morning," Katie said cheerfully, letting the shop door fall closed behind her. Alessa had decided to teach Katie the job the same way that Ginny had taught her all those months ago, starting with a tour.

"Follow me. I'll show you the basement and find you an apron," Alessa said, walking to the back of the store. "I'm really glad you decided to help us out. It's going to get busy the second school lets out for the summer."

"Yeah, I remember last summer I tried to stop in but the place was crowded," Katie said, slightly awkward, as though she expected Alessa to shout at her or something. "So, George said you were going to a muggle university?"

"Yeah, maybe. I haven't quite decided yet," Alessa said as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "I've been thinking about it for a while but I haven't made any final decisions yet."

"It sounds interesting," Katie said, letting the conversation die off. Alessa could feel her anxiety at the situation, and decided to do something about it before George arrived, to make it less awkward for them both. She turned around abruptly at the bottom of the stairs making Katie jump in surprise.

"Look, you are acting like you expect me to attack you-" Alessa started, but was cut off by Katie's instant denial. "No, listen," Alessa said, holding her hands up in front of her to quiet the other girl. "I know you are George's ex, but I really don't want there to be any hard feelings between us or anything, okay?" Alessa asked holding her hand out to shake Katie's. Katie looked at her in confusion.

"But… don't you hate me for coming here to work?" She asked, and Alessa dropped her hand, tilting her head in confusion.

"Why should I hate you? We need help here," she asked, forehead creased in thought.

"Well most girls hate their boyfriend's ex's. I know if our situations were flipped, I wouldn't want you here because I would see it as you trying to get him back from me. I just thought…" Katie trailed off, looking away from Alessa.

"Well are you?" Alessa asked, realizing what Katie was trying to say.

"Am I what?" Katie replied, looking back at her in confusion.

"Are you trying to take him back?" Alessa asked, hands on her hips, the corners of her mouth flicking up into an amused half smile.

"No," Katie shook her head wildly. "Of course not. We've barely even spoken in two years, and anyone can see how happy he is with you."

"Well then there's nothing for either of us to worry about," Alessa said, holding her hand out again. Katie shook it this time.

"Well I'm glad that's all cleared up," George's voice called from halfway down the stairs causing both girls to blush in embarrassment at being caught talking about him. "Aren't you supposed to be teaching Katie something, Alessa? Geez, it's like I pay you for nothing." He said smiling to let her know he was joking, then he walked past them and into the potion lab room, shutting the door behind him. Alessa and Katie looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

"Here, this is your apron, it's the smallest size we have, but it might still be a little long," Alessa said, handing her a bright red apron. Katie grimaced at the color, and Alessa laughed again, leading her through the shelves of the basement to explain their system.

The day passed by smoothly, Katie quickly figured out that most of the job was keeping the shelves stocked and arranged properly, and Alessa spent all of lunch regaling her with tales of odd customer's and other shop stories. By the time the day ended, both girls were getting along well. Katie had a sense of humor that was very similar to Hermione's of all people, and she could keep up when Alessa explained what psychology entailed. It turned out that Katie knew quite a bit about how the body worked because as a child she had been in gymnastics, something that shocked Alessa since Katie had grown up in a pureblood home and gymnastics was a thoroughly muggle sport.

Katie explained that once when she was five, her mother caught her swinging from a second story balcony to land in the garden. Katie had rolled when she landed and avoided injury, but after that her mother had enrolled her in gymnastics saying that if she insisted on throwing herself off of buildings, she should at least be able to do it correctly. The gymnastics trainer had been strict, making sure that even the youngest students understood exactly what muscles were used for any routine they were taught, and also what to do to keep their bodies healthy and fit.

"So that's why you're so small then?" Alessa asked, sitting on the couch in the employee room half an hour after close. "Because you spent your childhood flying around on bars like a monkey?"

"Probably. I've always been small, maybe when I jumped off that balcony I hit my head and it stunted my growth. You aren't that much bigger than I am though, only a few inches taller, so what's your excuse?" Katie asked, laughing.

"All the women in my family were small. My mother was just over five feet, I'm five feet exactly, and my great aunt is at least four inches shorter than I am," Alessa said, laughing. "My dad was quite short too, only about five and a half feet tall."

"Well that's okay, being short is more fun because you can still do kid things, like build snow forts and play hide and seek," Katie laughed.

"That's true," Alessa said, nodding, then she yawned.

"I'd better get going. What time do I come in tomorrow?" Katie asked, getting to her feet and searching for her coat.

"Oh, we aren't open on Monday's. Come back on Tuesday, maybe around 9:30 and I can show you what we do on mornings when we need to go to the bank," Alessa said, standing as well.

"Sounds good," Katie said, fastening her coat. "See you Tuesday," she said, walking to the front door and pushing it open, letting in a burst of cold air. Alessa locked the door behind her, then went down to check on George, he hadn't been up to the shop all day, still locked in the potion room. Alessa had checked on his emotions throughout the day, but it seemed as though he was just really focused on whatever he was working on, not hiding from people.

Alessa knocked on the door softly, not wanting to disturb him if he was in the middle of something, but when she pushed the door open, he was just sitting in a chair in the corner, reading a book and muttering to himself. Alessa tried to stifled her laugh, but he heard her and looked up, grimacing.

"I know, it's awful isn't it? It totally clashes with my outfit," he said, lifting up a strand of hair that had been colored bright neon green. Alessa burst out laughing as he stood and walked toward her.

"What did you do?" She asked when he reached her, still chuckling.

"I was trying to tweak the hair color powder in the new line to make it change colors after a set amount of time so someone could have a different color of hair every few minutes, but it got stuck on this for some reason." George said, running a hand through his hair, grinning reproachfully.

"And when did you try this?" Alessa asked, covering her mouth with her hand to suppress further laughter.

"About twenty minutes after I saw you this morning," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Isn't it supposed to fade after three hours?" Alessa asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Well, that's another thing I was trying to change," George admitted.

"So this is permanent?" Alessa asked.

"For now, I don't know when it will fade."

"So now would probably be a bad time to tell you that my aunt invited us both out to lunch tomorrow because she wants to meet you?" Alessa asked smiling inwardly as she watched the amusement drain off of George's face.

"I can't meet her like this!" George exclaimed, beginning to pace around the room, picking up different books, flipping through them for a few seconds, then mumbling to himself and setting them down to look over the note he had laid out on the potions table. Alessa let him be for about five minutes, but finally the chill of the basement started to bother her.

"Come on, let's go upstairs and work on this tomorrow. It's too cold to be down here much longer," Alessa said, seeing her breath start to appear on the air. She knew there were no heating charms in this room because they could upset some of the potions made here, so it was a lot colder than the rest of the building.

"Easy for you to say, my family loves you. I can't meet your family looking like an idiot, what if she hate's me?" He asked, coming to a stop in front of Alessa for a second, then marching back to the table, tugging on his hair.

"She won't hate you. Aunt likes everybody. And besides, even if she did hate you, she wouldn't say anything to you about it, she much too polite," Alessa said, straight faced.

"You aren't helping," George muttered, writing down a list on a fresh sheet of paper. Alessa sighed.

"Can I look at how you made that powder? Do you have a list of what ingredients you added?" She asked, walking over to the table.

"Here, this is the original product list," he said, handing her a piece of parchment that he dug out from under a pile of others. "And this is what I added, and the charms I used the second time around."

"You used a permanent sticking charm?" Alessa asked, looking over the instructions.

"No, I altered it. I put a time lock on it so that it would only be effective for a certain period of time, which should have been about eight hours, but right now it's been nearly eleven, and it's not fading at all," George said, pulling down a chunk of hair to see if it had begun to fade out yet.

"Hm. Well, what colors do you have right now?" She asked, thinking.

"Nothing, this was supposed to change colors periodically and I didn't make anything else, I just used one of the original ones and added to it." George said, pacing again, frowning in thought.

"Why not find one upstairs that is similar to your color and do it the same way, then, even if it doesn't fade before tomorrow, no one will notice," Alessa suggested.

"Can't," George said. I already checked. We don't have anything close to a natural color, only the bright ones." He sighed sadly.

"Well," Alessa said, thinking as she stared at his hair. "Why don't you try washing it and see if that does anything? At least half of these ingredients become useless when they come into contact with water," she said, waving her hand at the list in front of her.

"I'll try it," George said doubtful. "But the other colors don't wash out."

"Well go on then," Alessa said, shooing him away. "I want to read this chapter of this book really quick," she said, lifting one of his experimental charms theory books from the desk. He sighed, leaving the room. Alessa read the pages quickly, then grinned as she came to the end of the part that had caught her eye. She brought the book upstairs with her, coming into the flat as George opened the bathroom door.

"Well?" He asked, holding the towel around his waist and shaking his hair at her.

"Well, it is darker," she said, giggling. "Still green though. But I think I have an idea." She set the book on the table, pulling him over to see. "This part caught my eye, it's about using dye in foods to make it a different color, but at the end here they have a spell you can use if it gets on your clothes or skin, so maybe it will work to get dyes off of hair too."

"Or i'll go bald before my time," George said mournfully, scanning the page with his eyes. "But I guess that's what wigs are for," he sighed, standing up straight. "Do as you will," he said, bowing jokingly.

Alessa memorized the needed words and wand movement quickly, trying the movement a few times to make sure she got it right, then she tried the spell and held her breath, hoping it had worked as she thought it would. They both watched as green powder and flakes began to fall from his hair into piles on the floor. Alessa let out her breath, grinning.

"Back to normal," she said a moment later, waving her wand to move the powder from the floor into the trash. Then she bookmarked the page for future use in case this happened again.

"Thank you," George said, grinning, then he hugged her and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, weaving her fingers into his newly corrected hair.

"I don't think green suits you," she said, pulling back from him, then she frowned, feeling the side of his face. "Did you know that you are missing an ear?" She asked, lifting up the hair on the side of his face to look. He patted the hair back down self consciously, stepping back from her reach.

"Yeah, I was there when it happened," he joked, but his eyes were slightly worried, as though he expected her to be disgusted.

"How have I never noticed that before?" Alessa asked, frowning. "I've shared a bed with you for the last two months and I never noticed that before."

"Well, I usually have a fake one, otherwise my face look uneven and people give me weird looks," George said, still patting down his hair, though he looked a little more relaxed when she didn't say anything bad about it.

"I think your face looks uneven anyway," Alessa said, chuckling.

"I think the words you meant to use were devilishly handsome," George said, smirking at her.

"No, I'm good with words, I meant crooked. Now go put some clothes on," Alessa said laughing.

George disappeared into his room for a few moments, coming back out in sweat pants and a sweatshirt.

"So, what happened?" Alessa asked, walking to the fridge to pull out some food to make dinner.

"I got hit by a curse," George said, joining her in the kitchen to pull out plates and forks to set the table.

"Can you still hear with it at all?" She asked, placing a heating charm on a pot of stew and setting it on the table before taking her chair.

"A little. I didn't used to be able to out of that ear, but after the war there was a healer at St. Mungo's who had spent many years as a muggle healer, and he thought he could replicate their way of restoring hearing to muggles. I can just barely hear out of that ear now, and it throws off my balance if I don't wear the fake one," he pulled back his hair to show her both ears now.

"It looks real." she commented, ladling stew onto her plate.

"It's made of plastic, but its charmed to mold to my face so it stays on, even when I sleep, that's probably why you never noticed before. And I wasn't really anxious to show you anyway," he shrugged, looking down at his plate. "A lot of people say it's gross. Thats why I keep my hair long, to cover it up."

"You can't help having an ear cursed off," Alessa shrugged, spearing a carrot on her fork. "Besides, it makes for an interesting story."

George looked up to grin at her, and the two settled into their normal nightly routine of eating dinner and watching a movie, before heading off to bed.

* * *

"George, wake up," Alessa said from the doorway of his room. She was already completely dressed, hair and makeup done, along with a lot of quality reading. George groaned and rolled onto his stomach, shielding his face with his arms. Alessa grabbed her pillow and hit him a few times. With no change, Alessa settled for drastic measures, pushing him onto the freezing cold floor. He yelped and jumped up to glare at her, wrapping the blanket around him. The flat had a tendency to get cold during the night when the fire wasn't lit and even with the warming charms placed around the room, the floor always remained icy cold.

"I just thought you might want to know that it's now ten, and we meet my aunt for lunch in an hour or so," Alessa said, smirking.

"What!" George yelled, voice still scratchy from sleep.

"Go get ready," Alessa said, pulling the blanket away from him. "I'll find some clothes for you to wear while you shower, okay?"

George nodded and was out the door in seconds, knowing that the shower, at least, would be warm. Alessa picked through George's clothes, finding some nice black pants and adding a dark emerald sweater, then she made up the bed to look nice, leaving the clothes on top of it. She would never tell George, but she was just as nervous as he was about the lunch date. She walked around the living room, straightening things as she went while waiting for George to be ready.

Finally, half an hour later, he was dressed, his hair dried and patted down neatly, and shoes on ready to go. They both grabbed their heavy traveling cloaks to keep out the chill as they walked to the apparition point. Fifteen minutes later they were standing in front of a small, slightly fancy restaurant in the wizarding part of Brighton. Both took deep breaths before entering the building. They were a little early, but Alessa knew her aunt to be very punctual most of the time.

The hostess led them through the restaurant to a table near the back, shielded from surrounding tables with a high divider wall. George and Alessa took seats on the same side of the table, draping their cloaks over their chairs before sitting down, neither of them saying a word.

Almost ten minutes later, just as Alessa was starting to get concerned, a hostess walked over, followed by Alessa's aunt and, to her surprise, Blaise. They both sat down, Alessa raising an eyebrow at Blaise, who just shrugged.

"Hello Aunt. This is George Weasley. George, this is my Aunt, and my cousin, Blaise, which I'm sure you remember," Alessa said after a few moments of awkward silence.

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Zabini," George said politely, his hand squeezing Alessa's under the table though his face looked like he was merely interested in his surroundings.

"So why are you here Blaise?" Alessa asked, sipping her glass of water.

"I had to bring him along," her aunt responded before Blaise could open his mouth. "He was wearing the carpet out, pacing circles in it."

"I wasn't pacing circles in it, grandma. It was already worn out," Blaise retorted, grimacing.

"What's wrong Blaise?" Alessa asked. Blaise groaned.

"Daphne Greengrass invited me to a party in two weeks for valentines day," Blaise said. Alessa had no idea who Daphne Greengrass was, and her confusion must have shown on her face. "I dated her for a little while back in school."

"Oh," Alessa said, nodding in understanding. "So don't go."

"I already said I would," Blaise sighed.

"Okay, well what's the problem with that? Just change your mind," Alessa said, raising an eyebrow.

"I might have told her I had a date. So now if I skip it she will know I was just saying that as an excuses to not go as her date," Blaise said, running a hand through his short hair.

"I see," Alessa said, trying not to laugh at his predicament.

"It's not funny," Blaise said, sinking back into his chair. Alessa was aware of her aunt starting up a quiet conversation with George only because his grip on her hand became almost painful in his nervousness. "Do you know any girls who would be willing to go with me?" Blaise said hopefully, bringing her attention back to him. Alessa thought for a few moments, then shook her head.

"All my female friends are either married or dating someone else," Alessa said. "I'll ask around though," she added, seeing Blaise's face fall.

"Thanks Alessa," Blaise said, sighing. Alessa turned her attention to the other two just in time to hear George excuse himself to use the restroom.

"What's wrong Alessa?" Her aunt asked as soon as George was out of earshot. Alessa looked across the table at her.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You are just as nervous as that boy is," her aunt said, her mouth twitching up into a smile.

"Your opinion matters a lot to me Aunt," Alessa said shrugging.

"Well, I approve of your choices, Alessa," he aunt said, causing Alessa to smile with relief.

"Can we not talk about Alessa's love life," Blaise asked moodily, making the two women laugh lightly.

The rest of the meal passed with conversation mostly revolving around George and what he did for a living. Alessa, knew that George relaxed more and more as the conversation continued, his grip on her hand loosened to almost a normal pressure by the time they all stood up to leave. George and Blaise had spent the last ten minutes debating quidditch teams, and the two girls had gotten bored quickly.

They bid each other farewell, then parted ways outside the shop.

"Do you think she liked me?" George asked as they walked back to the shop, leaving fresh footsteps in the snow that had fallen while they ate.

"She did," Alessa said, nodding. "Her exact words were 'I approve of your choices, Alessa' and she talked to you for a while. If she didn't like you she wouldn't have continued a conversation."

"Good. I like her too, she has a witty sense of humor," George said, unlocking the shop door then stopping. "Why are there all these foot prints around the door?" He asked, taking a step back. They could see where someone, quite recently, had walked up to the door, then to the front windows, before heading off down the road.

"Maybe someone was trying to see if we were open?" Alessa asked doubtfully, drawing her wand just in case.

George drew his too as they entered the shop.

"Well, whoever it was shook the door hard enough to make the open sign fall off," he said, picking up the wooden sign and closing the door behind him.

"Homenum revelio" Alessa whispered, waving her wand. Nothing happened. "Well, no one actually came in the building."

"It was probably just some angry parent wanting their hair changed back to normal," George said, putting his wand away. He was still frowning as they walked up the stairs to the flat. Everything was where it should have been, door still locked and windows still closed tight, even Alessa's owl Apollo was still sleeping on his perch. Alessa put her own wand away, then pulled off her cloak and went to light a fire in the mantle to warm the place up.

* * *

"So are you and George doing anything for valentine's day?" Katie asked, watching as their lone customer wandered through the shelves.

"I dunno. Maybe going out for dinner or something. Neither one of us are big on holidays. George says his family went overboard for every holiday when he was growing up so he's tired of them now, and my family was small so we usually had quiet little celebrations," Alessa said, glancing up from the book she had been reading. "Are you doing anything special?"

"No," Katie said, shaking her head and sighing. "I don't have anyone to go out with, but I'd like to do something other than sit at home all day." Alessa nodded, returning to her book for a moment, then she looked up, a gleam of excitement in her eye.

"Actually, I know someone who is looking for a date for tomorrow. He's really nice, and last I heard he really needed a date because an ex of his asked him to a party and he panicked and said he already had a date, so she invited them both. And as of yesterday, he still hasn't found a date. I can ask him if you want," Alessa said.

"Well, I dunno," Katie said, looking thoughtful. "I've never been on a blind date before, but I do like parties," she trailed off, thinking about it for a moment, then shrugged. "Okay, you can ask I guess."

"Great," Alessa said, grinning. "But you have to keep an open mind when you meet him. He definitely won't be something you expect."

"That's like a polite way of saying theres something wrong with him," Katie said, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"Oh there's plenty wrong with him," Alessa grinned. "But that's not what I meant."

Katie would have continued, but at that moment the customer finally came up to the counter to ask about something, distracting Katie for long enough that she forgot about it.

* * *

"So this guy you are setting me up with," Katie said near the end of the day. "What's he like?"

"Uh, he's nice," Alessa said, counting down the till.

"Nice?" Katie said, raising an eyebrow and putting her hand on her hips. "Come on Alessa. What's his name?"

"I'm not telling you or you won't go," Alessa said.

"Oh, so I know him? And I don't like him?" Katie asked, frowning.

"No, I don't know if you know him and I don't want you to judge before meeting him. He's funny though, I think you will get along," Alessa said, smiling at Katie.

"Okay. Did you ask him if he's still looking for a date?" Katie asked, after another few minutes of silence.

"I wrote to him earlier, but he didn't send the owl back yet," Alessa said. Just as she finished talking, a tapping came from the window and Alessa turned around to see her owl. "That's probably from him." She opened the door, letting it in, then unwrapped the letter from its leg and glanced at it quickly.

"He says he still needs a date and he will meet you here tomorrow at five if that's okay," Alessa said, grinning. Katie nodded and Alessa jotted a note back to Blaise, sending it off with her owl.

"What should I wear? Did he say what kind of party this is?" Katie asked, beginning to pace around the open space between the register desk and the front door.

"Well, it's at the Greengrass manor. So I'm assuming it will be upscale," Alessa said, causing Katie to pause in her pacing and look at her.

"Greengrass manor?" She asked, eyebrows raised. "Aren't the Greengrass's part of the 'pureblood elitist' group?"

"Well, you are pureblood aren't you?" Alessa said jokingly. "I heard they calmed down a lot after the war. The Greengrass's never chose a side, they just stayed out of everything. But their daughters were raised with the old fashioned pureblood values, and I don't know how much they still follow it. Both of the parents left the country though, so the two girls manage the property. The party probably won't be as strict as old pureblood parties were." Alessa said, repeating what Blaise had told her three days ago, which was the last time he had come to her to rant about the party.

"Okay. I think I have a dress that would be appropriate," Katie said, thinking out loud.

"Why don't you go home now?" Alessa said, watching her pace the floor.

"Really?" Katie asked, looking up. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, there's only half an hour left and I've already counted down the till. I'll see you tomorrow at five, okay?" Alessa said, smiling as the shorter girl chanted repeated thank you's as she went to grab her coat and purse, then rush out the front door.

* * *

"Coming!" Alessa called, leaving her seat behind the checkout desk to answer the banging on the front door.

Even though it was a Monday and the shop was closed, Alessa spent the morning, and most of the afternoon, sitting in the shop reading a muggle anatomy book she had just received. George had disappeared early in the morning, shortly after she had gotten up, claiming he had some chores to run.

She flung open the door, letting in a half frozen looking Blaise. She had conjured up a blue flame in a jar to keep herself warm while she read, and now Alessa pushed Blaise over near it.

"How did you get Katie Bell to agree to go out with me?" Blaise asked, not wasting time with hello's. "She was a Gryffindor right? Why would she agree to go to a party with a bunch of Slytherins?"

"Oh, about that," Alessa said guiltily. "I didn't exactly tell her who she would be going with. I just made her promise to keep an open mind."

"What?!" Blaise cried, running his hands through his hair. "She's going to ditch me as soon as she sees me, and then i won't have an excuse for turning down Daphne."

"She's not going to leave just because you are who you are," Alessa said, not completely sure if she was right. Katie seemed like a reasonable person, but Alessa didn't really know her well enough to predict how she would behave. Blaise didn't listen to her anyway. He paced around the shop muttering to himself until another knock came from the door, then he ducked behind a shelf in fright.

"Hey Katie," Alessa said, pulling open the door. "Wow, you look nice."

"Thanks," Katie said, smoothing down the front of her dress. "You don't think it's too much?"

"Not at all," Alessa said, shutting the door. Blaise was still hiding, making Alessa roll her eyes.

"Katie, this is my cousin Blaise," Alessa said, dragging him out from behind the shelves.

"Blaise? As in Blaise Zabini?" Katie asked, peering at them.

"Yep," Alessa said, still gripping Blaise's arm as he tried to tug it away.

"Hi," Katie said, walking up to him. "I don't know if you remember me, I was a year ahead of you in school, and in Gryffindor." She held out her hand to shake Blaise's.

"Well, you are taking this better than I thought you would," Alessa said, walking away from the two back to her book.

"You said she would be fine with it!" Blaise said accusingly.

"Oh yeah, well, I wasn't sure, I just said that to make you shut up," Alessa said, taking her place in her chair.

"Well, I figured whoever it was must have been in Slytherin, otherwise you would have just told me who it was," Katie said, grinning at them.

"Okay, well now that you get along, go away. I want to finish this book today," Alessa said, waving her hand at them. Katie chuckled.

"Charming as always," Blaise commented, then walked with Katie out to the street. Alessa watched them walk down the street, talking, and smiled at a thought well conceived, then she gathered up her book and went back up to the apartment as she was expecting no other guests that day.

Around seven, George returned, managing to shut the door and walk up to the table before Alessa noticed he was there.

"Would you fancy a stroll, my lady?" George asked, bowing jokingly to her and holding out his hand.

"Yes, because it is such a lovely day out," Alessa said sarcastically but she took his hand anyway and allowed him to pull her up from her chair.

"Grab your cloak," George said as they paused at the door so she could put on her shoes.

George led her behind the Leakey Cauldron, then apparated them to part of London that Alessa wasn't familiar with.

"Where are we?" She asked, looking around them at the empty snow covered park.

"In muggle London," George said, not really answering her question. She let him lead her through the twisting paths of the park until they entered a snow covered wooded area. They walked along the path for a few minutes, then came to a small gazebo type building, which George left the path to walk towards.

As he led her up the stairs to the flat, open room, the air warmed suddenly, until she had to take her cloak off. Finally, they came to a stop, and George turned on the muggle lights, making strings of small fairy lights bring a glow to the area. In the center of the wall-less room, sat a bright blue blanket, topped with a basket.

"You made us a picnic?" Alessa asked, grinning as he sat down and patted the place next to him.

"Happy Valentines Day," he replied as she sat next to him. The sun had set nearly an hour ago, making the white fairy lights blaze in the darkness.

"This is perfect. Thank you," Alessa said, leaning up to kiss him.

"You're welcome. I figured you would want to do something other than dinner and a movie, since we do that almost every night anyways," George said, smiling down at her. He began pulling food out of the basket and placing it in front of them. As George wasn't much of a cook, it was mostly simple things, sandwiches, salad, and little fruit pieces, and small cakes for dessert.

Alessa thoroughly enjoyed the meal anyway, because of the effort George must have put into preparing it and finding the area.

They talked about nothing serious, just enjoying each others company, and though it was the only Valentine's day Alessa had ever spent with someone else, she knew it couldn't get much better than this. An hour later, George packed up the basket and stood.

"There's one more thing we have to do tonight," he said, pulling Alessa up and handing her cloak back.

"What is it?" She asked, following him down the path back out through the park.

"A surprise," he answered. Then walked for almost five more minutes before saying, "I hope you aren't scared of heights."

A bustling part of muggle London appeared before them, brightly lit and quite loud. George held her hand tighter so as not to lose her in the crowd of people milling about shopping and talking.

Alessa followed him toward a giant wheel that was lighting up the sky.

"What is that?" She asked as they came to a stop in front of it.

"It's called the London Eye. Hermione said it's one of the best muggle things in London. You get to sit in these little carriage things and it lifts you up and she said you can see the whole city from the top," George explained quietly as the muggles in front of them took a few steps away. Alessa realized they were standing in a short cue line, and took a few steps forward to fill the open space.

She stared up in wonder at the metal contraption.

"How could muggles build something so large without magic?" She whispered to him, keeping her voice low so the muggles nearby wouldn't hear her.

"I dunno. You could ask Hermione. She tried explaining something like that to me once and I didn't really understand any of it. She said this one is safe though, so we won't go rolling through the city on it," he whispered back, making Alessa giggle as she imagined the giant wheel rolling through the streets.

They got through the cue line in half an hour and were let into a carriage with about ten other muggles. They shuffled to the side of the room to look out the large glass windows and make room for the other people.

"Look," Alessa whispered as they started to lift away from the ground. She was a little nervous to be going so high up in a muggle contraption, and she gripped her wand tightly using George to hide it from the muggles. She pointed to the floor. "The floor is made of glass too. You can see the ground." George nodded and she could tell he was a little nervous too, but got distracted as they were suddenly lifted high enough to see the city and the compartment came to a halt to let them look. Multiple muggles were talking to each other, snapping pictures with cameras and cell phones. Alessa wondered if her phone could take pictures for a split second before being brought back to the sight in front of her.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, gripping George's hand with her free one. He nodded, pulling her against him as the room started to rise again. They stopped several more times before they finally came to the top of the wheel and could see the whole city sprawled out in front of them.

"Stand in front of the window," George said, pulling a camera from inside his long cloak. A muggle glanced at them for a second, probably wondering why they were wearing cloaks, then turned around when Alessa caught his eye. Alessa smiled and leaned in as George held the camera in front of them and snapped a picture. "I hope that I actually got us in the shot," George said quietly, and Alessa chuckled, leaning on his shoulder to stare out the window again. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and they stood like that for the rest of the way down.

Later they agreed that it had been unnerving watching the ground slowly fall away then come up to meet them, but they both thought it was worth it.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Birthday Fights

"What's going on George?" Alessa asked as they laid in bed late one night. For most of the last two weeks, George had been avoiding conversation with most people, and now the last few days he had been avoiding her as well. She didn't want to push him, but he had been doing so well with socializing for the last few months and she didn't want him falling back into his depression if it could be avoided.

"Nothing is going on," George said quietly, keeping his eyes closed as he leaned back into his pillow. Alessa watched him for a few seconds, then sighed and leaned back against her pillow.

"If something is bothering you, you know you can tell me, right?" Alessa asked softly, not looking at him. He sighed.

"I know. I'm just not used to talking to people about my problems," George said, then rolled over to took at her, propping his head up on one hand. "Next week is April," he said, sighing.

"I know. What's in April?" She asked, looking back at him.

"My birthday," George said, sighing again.

"Oh," Alessa said, catching on. Of course he wouldn't be happy about his birthday, he would be remembering Fred more clearly than ever. "Do you want to go to the cemetery on your birthday?" Alessa asked. "We can bring flowers and food and we can share the birthday celebrations with Fred."

"Would you be willing to spend all day in the snow in a cemetery?" George asked, eyes closed, and eyebrows drawn together. His voice was strained.

"I will do anything you want to do," Alessa said, watching his face. She lifted a hand to smooth over the wrinkles on his forehead brought on by the frown. His face softened and he wound his arm around her, pulling her in and tucking his face into her hair.

"I love you Alessa," he said softly into her ear.

"I love you too," Alessa said quietly, closing her eyes to snuggle into his shoulder.

* * *

The next morning didn't change anything, George still spent all day in the basement avoiding everyone else. Alessa checked on him a few times throughout the day, making sure he ate lunch and kept warm enough. The fifth time she made a trip to the basement was just after close. Alessa watched George as he stared at a book, and when he made no move to turn the page or do anything, she sighed, walking all the way into the room.

"George," she said softly, making him look up. "It's freezing down here, why don't you come upstairs?"

"No," George said, looking back down at the book in front of him and flipping to a new page. "I still have some stuff to do."

"You can do it tomorrow," Alessa said, taking his hand.

"No," George said again, louder. He wrenched his hand from her grip, pulling away. "I don't need you checking on me all the time either," he snapped, making Alessa take a step back in surprise. She hadn't ever know George to get angry over anything, but right now, anger was the only thing she could sense from him. "You aren't my mother, you don't need to take care of me."

"I know I'm not your mother, I'm not trying to be," Alessa said quietly, raising her hands in front of her as though approaching a frightened animal.

"Then stop acting like it's your job to feed me and stop telling me what to do. I just want to be alone," George shouted, bringing his hands down on the table in front of him, sending his book and a number of parchments flying to the floor. "Go away! Just... leave," he said, turning his back to her. She hesitated, wondering if she should try to calm him down, but decided he just needed time on his own. She left the room, running back up the stairs and out the front door of the shop. It was completely dark out as she ran down the street to the Leakey Cauldron, so no one could see her apparate away. She appeared in front of Number 12 Grimmuld place, and banged on the door until it opened revealing Harry, standing in the doorway.

"Alessa?" He asked, opening the door so she could walk in. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, is Ginny home?" Alessa asked, still breathing hard from her running. Harry nodded, shutting the door before going back to the kitchen to get Ginny.

"Alessa? Why are you crying? What happened?" Ginny asked, rushing forward. Alessa furrowed her brow, then brought her hands up to her cheeks. She hadn't realized that tears had started leaking from her eyes. She wiped them away furiously.

"Sorry. Nothing's wrong. I was just wondering… could I stay here tonight?" Alessa asked, looking up at Ginny, who glanced at Harry for a moment.

"Of course you can, there's a spare room upstairs and I was just finishing dinner. Are you hungry?" Ginny asked, leading her up the stairs.

"Not really," Alessa said, lowering her head as she walked. "I'm just really tired."

"Okay, well this is the spare room, we can talk in the morning okay?" Ginny said coming to a halt in front of a closed door, then she turned and hugged Alessa lightly. "The bathroom is right next door if you need it. And there should be some spare clothes in the wardrobe you can use."

"Thanks Ginny," Alessa said, looking away from her. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Good night," Ginny said as Alessa closed the door behind her and fell onto the bed still fully clothed.

Alessa slept fitfully, tossing and turning often. She woke in the early morning hours, the sky still dark, and lay awake in bed, thinking.

She knew George probably didn't mean to yell at her, he was just upset because Fred's birthday was in two days. She also understood that he needed space to deal with things his own way, without her around to bother him. So she would give him some time to calm down, and then she would return before his birthday. But it still hurt to know he didn't want her around when he was going through a hard time. It felt like he didn't trust her enough to talk to her, and her heart clenched at the thought.

Ginny was already sitting at the table sipping from a steaming mug of tea when Alessa decided it was late enough in the morning to be an acceptable time to rise. Ginny looked at her for a moment, then pointed to the seat across from her.

"Sit," she said sharply. Alessa sat. There was already a cup of tea poured for her, so she picked it up to have something to do with her hands. "Now, tell me what happened."

"Nothing happened," Alessa said, sighing.

"Really? Because that's not what my brother said when he floo'd here at five this morning," Ginny said, narrowing her eyes. "He was very angry and very panicked. He seemed to have no idea where you were."

Alessa looked up from her tea.

"He floo'd here?" She asked. Ginny nodded, and Alessa looked down again. "We just had a little fight, it's fine. He just needs some space right now. I'll go back and talk to him once he's had time to think, I don't want to crowd him."

"But you will go back, right?" Ginny asked, eyes still narrowed.

"Of course I will," Alessa said. "I'm just going to give him a little time."

Ginny watched her through narrowed eyes for another moment, then sighed and smiled, her face brightening a little.

"Well okay then. So what do you want to do today? We could go shopping, or we could go to a spa! I've always wanted to go to one," Ginny said, standing to walk to the sink and rinse out her empty mug.

"I don't really care what we do Ginny. Don't you have to go to training or something? I can go find something else to do for the day, you don't have to take time off of work for me," Alessa said, draining her tea and standing as well.

"Oh, well I'm actually not going to be training this season. I'm not playing till next season, so I have a lot of free time," Ginny said, grinning.

"You aren't in this season?" Alessa asked, finally putting effort into the conversation. "Why not? Did something happen?"

"No, no, nothing bad. I'll tell you about it later. For now, go take a shower and put on some less wrinkled clothes. I want to go shopping," Ginny said, pushing Alessa toward the doorway of the kitchen.

Alessa submitted to spending the day shopping. Once Ginny had her mind made up, nothing Alessa said would change it.

* * *

"Alessa, you are ruining the trip with your pouting," Ginny said as they walked down a muggle street, both holding a few shopping bags.

"I'm not pouting," Alessa responded distractedly. She had been thinking about what Ginny had said that morning about George being mad, but she had been responding to Ginny's conversations, at least she thought she had.

"You haven't bought anything the whole time," Ginny said, trying to make her point.

"If I bought anything I wouldn't be able to carry your things, Ginny," Alessa said, lifting her laden hands as an example.

"Alessa," Ginny sighed, coming to a halt. "Just go home if you are that worried about him."

"I'm not worried," Alessa said. Ginny raised an eyebrow. "He told me to go away. He needs time to think."

"I think he's had enough time," Ginny said. The sun had set nearly an hour ago, and Alessa was tempted to leave just so she could get off her aching feet and away from Ginny's knowing looks.

"Go home," Ginny said, grabbing the bags from Alessa's hands. "I don't want to see you again until you are done being such a miserable lump." Alessa stared at her for a few moments, then sighed. A part of her was relieved that Ginny was forcing her to leave, otherwise she would have procrastinated the return, and even though she denied it to Ginny, Alessa was worried about George.

"What if he tells me to leave again?" Alessa whispered, letting out one of her insecurities.

"He won't. He probably didn't even mean it the first time he said it. Just go. I'll see you later," Ginny said, then turned and walked away from her. Alessa found a darkened alley to apparate from.

She didn't go right home, instead making a few stops at different places, putting off the inevitable conversation and trying to clear her mind. Finally, she gave up her procrastinating and went home.

As she trudged through the snow towards the shop, she tried not to worry about whether George wanted her there or not. She closed the door of the flat quietly. It wasn't late, the shop should have still been open but she guessed that since she hadn't been there that morning, it had been closed all day. All of the lights in the flat were out, and it was freezing. Alessa lit the fire in the hearth, then lit a few candles and placed them around the room. She knocked hesitantly on George's bedroom door, but after a few moments of silence, she pushed it open to find the room empty. She checked the shop and the basement, both of which were unlit and cold, then she walked slowly back up to the flat.

She tried to think about where he would go when he was upset, but she had no idea. As a last resort, she decided to call his cell phone, maybe he would have it on him. Alessa went into her own room to get the phone she had left there when she rushed out the previous day, but then stopped in her tracks. George was sitting in the dark, in front of the table she used on the rare occasion she wore make up. He was staring into the mirror at his reflection, unmoving. He didn't acknowledge her, his eyes didn't move in the slightest. The only sound in the room was his shallow, slow breathing. Alessa let out the breath she was holding and walked over to him. She put a hand on his shoulder, but he still made no move to acknowledge her.

"George?" She tried to ask, but her voice came out as a broken whisper. She cleared her throat and tried again.

"George, I'm sorry for leaving," she said, watching his reflection. He didn't answer, just continued to stare. She furrowed her brow, then waved a hand in front of his eyes, but he didn't even blink.

"George?" She pulled him around so he was no longer facing the mirror, but it didn't break whatever he was concentrating on.

Alessa sat on the bed she hadn't used in months, crossed her legs and relaxed, emptying her mind of thoughts. She hadn't done this in ages, and it took her longer to appear inside her mind then it should have.

She pulled herself away from her body, searching for George's mind, but came to a stop as she mentally slammed against a wall. She looked up, then to both sides, but the wall continued as far as she could see in all directions. She took her time walking around it, looking for some sort of door or gate she could enter through, but found nothing.

"George," she called loudly, hoping he could hear her from wherever he was. Nothing happened for a few moments, then she blinked and an archway lifted from the ground in front of her. She took a few steps forward, and once she was inside the walls, the arch slid back into the ground without a trace.

In front of her were miles of grassy looking fields surrounding a shed sized brick building with a low doorway. She looked around, but couldn't find any sign of George. On the very far edges of her vision she could see the beginning of a forest. She hesitated, then started walking toward the building. Alessa could just barely hear sounds of laughter and talking coming from somewhere nearby, but it was all too far away to make out clearly. She walked toward the building for what seemed like hours, but it grew no closer. She looked back, but the wall had disappeared into the distance behind her, leaving her in the open grass with a blue sky stretched above her. She looked back at the building, but it had gone.

"George?" she asked again, in a normal volume, not sure what to do next. A few moments later she turned around to see the shed right in front of her. As she walked forward, the door swung in to reveal stairs spiraling down into the ground. She walked down the dark stairs hardly able to see for a few minutes before coming to a stop in a room that looked very much like the one she had left her body in. It was empty of all furniture and adornments, and when she stepped off the last stair, they melted back into the wall to form the door to her bedroom. She was alone in the room now, and though it wasn't lit she could see clearly. The bed appeared, made up just as it always was, shelves floated from the walls, the books on them appearing in the same order she kept them at home. When all the furniture had appeared, she looked around noticing that the only difference was the mirror above her table. It has hundreds of thin cracks in it, making her reflection come back to her in tiny broken pieces. She tried the door to the rest of the flat, but it was locked and as she tugged the handle, it slowly melted into the door until all that was left were the same wooden panels the walls were made of, effectively trapping her.

As she turned to the room again, she saw a flash of movement in the mirror that hadn't come from her.

"Hello?" She asked, walking over to stand in front of the mirror properly. It did not show her a shattered image of herself this time, but rather, George's face appeared, split into tiny facets.

"George?" She asked, lifting her hand to the mirror.

"Why are you here Alessa?" He asked in a tired voice, his eyes closed and his head dropping down into his hands.

"I was looking for you," she replied, lowering her hand from the mirror.

"Why?" He asked, looking up at her for a moment.

"Because I was worried," she said, sitting back on the bed and crossing her legs, just as she had before. George closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, as though trying to remember what he had been talking about seconds before.

"Why were you worried?" George asked, his voice almost beyond her range of hearing. Alessa finally identified that the room was being lit by a glow coming from behind the broken mirror. Light shined through each tiny crack, but somehow it did not disrupt the image. Alessa rested her hands on her knees, sitting with her back straight, keeping her mind clear of anything but this room and this conversation. Something in the back of her mind told her this would be one of the most important conversations she ever had.

"Because you left," she said, watching his blank face twitch for the first time since she had come here.

"No, you left," he said in slight anger, then he cleared the emotions off his face again.

"You told me to leave," she said softly, provoking another downward twitch of his mouth. "I thought you would need time by yourself to think. Obviously you have done too much thinking."

"No," he responded. "I did just enough thinking. I wanted to die after the war, did you know that, Alessa? And it would have been so easy to do, but I was too weak to do it. And now I don't need to die, because I can be here instead. Look out the window, Alessa."

Alessa turned her head and was confronted with a window far to large to fit in the room. Outside it was the field she had walked across, this time there were people there, running and laughing and talking, fading in and out of sight periodically.

"Who are they?" Alessa asked, watching a couple of them mount brooms and start a game of quidditch.

"They are me. And my family, and my friends, and everyone I love and everyone I miss," George said, somehow looking out the window as well, even though in her room the mirror and window were against the same wall. Alessa watched the people outside take on detail, some becoming familiar, others not. She saw a younger George sitting head to head with an exact replica of him, which must have been Fred.

"Why are you here George," Alessa asked, looking away from the people outside, blinking tears away and taking a deep breath to stay calm.

"Why would I want to be anywhere else?" He asked, looking at her again. "Here, they are alive and healthy. Here I can live, and so can they."

"This isn't living, George. This is you getting lost in your memories. They aren't real, you can't talk to them, you are just building a fake idea," Alessa said, turning back to the window against her better judgment.

George was silent for a moment, both watching as the younger George laughed with his twin, then ran up to a figure that looked like Alessa, dragging her over to meet the memory Fred, and all of them laughing together.

"They aren't… real," George repeated her, making the people outside slowly sink into the ground, one by one, ending with the image of her. Alessa faced the mirror again.

"George, just because they aren't real doesn't mean they aren't with you," Alessa said, letting the tears pour over and fall down her cheeks. "You will always have those memories, you will always know them, even when they die, they aren't gone. They are a part of you, they make you who you are."

"But they are gone, he's gone," George whispered. Then he frowned. "Do you know what that feels like, Alessa? When someone who is exactly like you, someone who you understand completely, the other half of you, is just gone? Do you know what that's like?"

"No," Alessa whispered, watching him ball his hands into fists in the mirror. The light was growing brighter behind the broken mirror, but the image still stayed clear.

"Of course you don't. And do you know what it's like to look in the mirror and feel your heart jump, because for a split second, you think it's him, and he survived somehow, only to realized that it's just you, and then feeling your heart completely torn out again?"

Alessa shook her head but didn't look away from the mirror.

"It hurts, Alessa," he screamed. "It fucking hurts and it doesn't get better."

Then he sighed, and the light faded down again, leaving the room only faintly lit.

"I don't know what to do Alessa," he said quietly, eyes closed and face in his hands. "It doesn't get better. I don't know how to fix it."

"Neither do I," Alessa whispered, looking at his broken form. She slid off the bed to kneel on the floor in front of the mirror, and suddenly, they were no longer in her room, they were in a long brick corridor, piles of rubble surrounded them, and pieces of the ceiling were falling. Colored lights flashed up and down the hall, some narrowly missing where they stood, others hitting walls, making the building shake.

A shout caused Alessa to turn around quickly, then she ducked as a spell flew at her, but she needn't have bothered, it passed right through her. She watched as two people came into view at the end of the hall, but she was too far away to hear what they were saying. One of them laughed for a moment before the entire hall exploded, making multiple people scream in fright. When the dust cleared, Alessa could here someone yelling "No, no Fred! No" and then the hall disappeared, and reappeared as what she recognized as the Great Hall.

The people surrounding her were dirty and bleeding, many were crying or talking with others. She heard a wail from the other end of the hall and turned around in time to see Mrs. Weasley throw herself down on top of another red haired form. Her family surrounded her, all of them crying and hugging. George knelt on the floor above his brother, tears falling down his face. Alessa took a step toward them and found herself falling again until she knelt on the floor in front of her broken mirror.

"I wasn't even there," George said, his voice cracking. His reflection in the mirror was kneeling too now, he was crouched over so that his face and hands were right above his knees. "I should have been there."

"George," Alessa said, raising a hand to rest it against the mirror. The place she touched flared brightly, and when she pulled her hand away, the cracks underneath it had melded the broken shards back together. Now that she looked closely, she could see that while they had talked, some of the smaller cracks had been mending themselves.

"George, I know that the past can hurt, and sometime it will feel like you can't possibly handle it," Alessa said, running her fingers over the smaller cracks in the mirror, watching them flare with light, then fade to become whole again. "Sometimes, you will want nothing more than to give up, because giving up has to hurt less than this does, anything would be better. And sometimes its hard to resist taking that path, its hard to keep going, and keep thinking, and keep remembering. But with every thought, every step, you become stronger. You learn more, about yourself and about others. If your past becomes too heavy for you, so heavy that it seems impossible to take another step, when it is the hardest to look up, that is when everything around you seems darkest." As she spoke, the window behind her had darkened, leaving only one figure in it. She could see it in the facets of the mirror, reflected back as George watched it over her shoulder. This figure was carrying a multitude of things on its back, in its arms, even dragging things behind it in a cart. It took a few laborious steps, then halted, hunching over.

"But when it becomes so much that you just want to drop everything, forget everything, and just let it crush you, there is always another option. You can ask for help. Sometimes it's not easy, sometimes it will seem altogether impossible, but if you ask for help, if you let someone in, they can carry some of what weighs you down. Anyone who loves you would help you if you asked them to, and you have so many people who love you, George." Alessa finally came to the center of the mirror where a large crack ran from the top to the bottom, dividing the now nearly completed image in half. She rested both hands on the mirror, on either side of his head, and rested her forehead against the crack. He looked up at her, tears still falling down his face.

"Alessa," he said, his rough voice and breaking. "Will you help me, please? I need you. I can't do this by myself anymore."

"You were never by yourself, George," she whispered. "You just weren't looking properly," Alessa said as light flared through the large crack. As it faded, Alessa could see the image outside the window. Another figure approached the first one, taking some things from his hands, and grabbing onto the cart behind them, helping the first one pull it along as they walked together. Alessa's hands fell through the glass to land on George's shoulders and the mirror faded away. She pulled him in, letting his head rest against her shoulder as he cried. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she smoothed down his hair, whispering to him that everything was going to be okay, and that he wasn't alone.

After what seemed like a very long time to Alessa, George stopped crying and the room around them faded until they were sitting on the grass covered field she had seen on her way here with nothing around them in any direction except for the shed-like building. As his breathing calmed, the building too faded into the ground, leaving grass to sprout up in its place. There was no distant laughing this time, no sounds at all, just their even breathing as they continued holding each other. They sat for a long time, breezes sweeping over them occasionally, and the longer they sat, the more Alessa could hear the land coming alive. Birds chirped and clouds floated above them. Somewhere nearby a stream splashed and crickets began to chirp around them.

After a while, she lifted her hands from his back, using them to turn his face toward hers. His eyes stayed closed as they both sat back. She used her sleeve to wipe the remnants of tears from his face, then he opened his eyes to look at her.

"Let's go home," Alessa said. "I think there is something we need to do." She stood, pulling George up beside her, and kept his hand grasped tightly in hers as she took a step forward. The wall appeared in front of them, and an archway sprung from the ground again. Instead of finding herself on the other side of the walls where she had arrived, Alessa stepped into the circular stone room she remembered from her last visit here with George. As they stepped out of the room, the door behind them vanished, and she looked at George in question.

"I don't want to go there anymore," he said quietly in explanation. She nodded and gave him a smile.

"Open your eyes George," she said softly, and watched as George vanished before she focused her mind and went back to the present. She opened her eyes to see George looking back into the mirror as he had been when she had first gotten home.

She stood from the bed, resting a hand on George's shoulder. He covered it with his own, then looked at her reflection in the mirror.

"It's not as hard anymore," he said, looking back at himself, sounding a little surprised. "It still hurts, but it's okay now."

Alessa smiled at him in the mirror, then turned and pulled him out of the chair.

"Get your cloak. We have somewhere to be now," she said, leading him from the room. She watched him take a last glance at the mirror, then he went to the living room to grab his cloak. The fire Alessa had lit earlier had burnt out, as had the candles, and the room was filled with a dim, pre-dawn glow. She led him down the stairs and out of the shop into the snow, not letting go of his hand. At the Leakey Cauldron, she gripped his arm tightly, turning on the spot.

They appeared with a pop in the deep snow of a large fenced in yard beside a dirt road and she led him down row after row of snow covered lumps, finally turning down a path near the back of the yard following the tracks already laid in the snow. They came to a stop in front of the only area that wasn't covered with snow. She knelt down next to the gravestone, pulling him down next to her.

She drew her wand, drawing a slow circle in the air making a wreath of flowers appear below the carving in the stone.

They were both silent as the sun rose behind them, casting long shadows across the yard.

"Happy birthday Fred," she said after a few moments more.

"Happy birthday Fred," George echoed, putting his hand against the stone where Fred's name was etched into it.

"How did you know where he was?" George asked after a while, turning to Alessa.

"I came here yesterday," Alessa admitted. "Ginny kicked me out, but I thought you were still mad, so I didn't want to go home. I ran into your mother at a shop in Diagon Alley and I asked where he was buried, so she told me where to find him. I talked to him for quite a while."

She put her hand over his on the gave stone. "Sometimes its easier to talk to someone you don't know."

"I'm sorry about yesterday. About everything actually," George said, looking down again. "I wasn't mad at you, just at myself."

"It's okay, I'm here now," Alessa said. They sat in silence for a long time, watching the world around them grow brighter as the sun came up.

"I think you need some time to yourself," Alessa said at last, standing up. George looked up at her with worried eyes. "It's okay, I'll be at home. Just come home when you are ready."

"Okay," George said, looking back at the stone. As she took a step away he turned back to her. "I love you Alessa, and I really appreciate that you are here. I don't know where I would be without you."

"You would be okay eventually," Alessa said, smiling back at him. "It just would have taken longer."

"No," George shook his head in disagreement, turning back to the grave. "I don't think I would be okay. I think I'd be here," he said, waving a hand in front of him. Alessa rested her hands on his shoulders for a moment.

"I love you too," she said after a few seconds of silence. "I'll see you at home."

She left the graveyard, apparating back to Diagon Alley and going back to the flat to make something for them to eat once George came home. She hadn't eaten anything the day before, and she was willing to bet he hadn't either. She didn't bother opening the shop, though it was Thursday and they should have been open.

George returned nearly two hours later, looking half frozen. He dropped into the chair across the table from where Alessa was sitting with a book propped open in front of her, and closed his eyes for a few moments. She looked up from the book, watching him for a moment. George had deep bags under his eyes, and his hair was messed, but he looked better than he had in weeks.

"Percy was there," he said after a moment, opening his eyes again.

"Percy?" Alessa asked, confused. "Your brother?"

"Yeah. He was surprised to see me there, he said he almost left, but he wanted to talk. I haven't talked to him since the war. We never really got along growing up, and before the war he sort of disowned the family for a while," George said, picking up his fork to eat the plate of food she had set a warming charm on and left on the table. George looked down for a moment, then said, "Percy thought I blamed him for Fred's death. He said he blamed himself for it. When I told him I didn't blame him, he cried. I've never seen him cry, not once, even when we were little. He thought it was his fault I didn't want to come around and see the family anymore. He thought I hated him."

Alessa had set down her book to watch him. "Why would he blame himself?" She asked.

"He was standing right there. He said he distracted Fred from the fight and thats why he died," George said. "The memory I have of that moment was from Neville Longbottom. I asked him a long time ago if he knew what had happened, and he said he had been at the other end of the hall, too far away to hear anything, that's why that memory was so blurry when I showed it to you, its not actually mine. Percy gave me this," he said, holding up a vial with silver mist floating around inside it. "It's his memory of the fight." He set it on the table between them.

"Are you going to look at it?" She asked, glancing up at him. He hesitated, then pushed it across the table to her.

"No," George said, his voice firm. "I don't blame Percy, and I don't blame myself anymore. The only person I blame is Voldemort, and he is dead. I don't need to see that. I don't want to."

"Okay," Alessa said, smiling at the improvement he had made.

"Can you keep it please?" George asked, looking at her. "I don't want to be tempted to watch it the next time I'm feeling bad."

"Of course," Alessa said, putting the vial into her pocket. "I know exactly where to put it."

"Don't tell me," George said, holding his hands up to stop her from continuing.

"I wasn't going to," Alessa said, smiling softly. "Come on, you need some sleep," she said, standing to take his empty plate to the sink.

"So do you," he said, watching her yawn as she rinsed the dishes off.

"Yes, but I have an errand to run. I'll be back in fifteen minutes, I promise," she said, walking back to him as he stood and leaning up to give him a quick kiss. "And happy birthday, George," she said, then gave him a gentle push toward the hallway. He smiled back, then disappeared into their room. Alessa put her boots back on, grabbed her cloak, and walked out into the slightly warm midday sun.

Five minutes later she was back in the graveyard, kneeling in front of Fred's grave. She pulled the vial from her pocket and waved her wand over it a few times, making the glass unbreakable and sealed shut to any but her, then she dug a small hole into the ground right behind the tombstone, burying the vial. She stood and looked at the grave for a few moments.

"Thank you," she said softly, then turned to go home.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: Spring

"Here," Alessa said, setting a small box on the table in the employee room and pulling the lid off to reveal a light blue frosted cake. "I realized yesterday that we slept through most of your birthday and we never really got to celebrate it, George."

"I forgot your birthday was a few days ago. Happy late birthday," Katie said, sipping on the tea Alessa had brought downstairs a few minutes before. The shop had been empty nearly all day, still recovering from its three days of unscheduled close. "I thought maybe you guys had gone on vacation and forgot to tell me not to come in or something."

"I'm so sorry about that Katie. I completely forgot to owl you," Alessa said. They had woken the day after George's birthday to an owl from Katie, asking why the shop had been closed the last two days. Alessa had written back saying she had some family matters to take care of and the shop would stay closed that day too and reopen the following day.

"It's okay. I had some shopping I needed to do around here anyway, so it gave me time to get all that done. Did you get everything figured out with your family? Blaise said he didn't know what was going on," Katie said as Alessa pulled the cake from the box.

"You are still talking to Blaise?" Alessa asked, hoping to distract Katie from further conversation on her family. She didn't have a good lie made up and she was too tired to try to think of one.

"Yeah, we got along really well at that party we went to a few months ago. We go out sometimes now. He's really interesting," Katie said, smiling.

"You still go out? That's great," Alessa said, cutting up pieces of cake and putting them on plates.

"Yeah," Katie said, then went off describing some of the places they had gone. Alessa looked at George who smiled, accepting his cake. He had been quiet the last few days, but he was getting better. Alessa could feel his emotions evening out. Instead of rushing around in a giant ball, they drifted more easily now, like they were supposed to, and he had lost a lot of stress she hadn't even know he had.

Katie cut off her flow of description when the bell rang over the door. She set down her plate to go take care of the customer leaving George and Alessa alone in the small room.

"George, we got an invitation to the War Memorial Service at Hogwarts in a few weeks. Would you like to go?" Alessa asked, watching his face. He thought about it for a little bit, then nodded.

"I think I would. I haven't been back there since the war. I'd like to remember it as something other than a crumbling building filled with bodies. When is the service?" He asked, looking back at her steadily. She smiled, knowing he agreed to go for his own reasons and not just because he knew she wanted to go.

"It's the first Saturday of May. Which should be the fifth if I remember correctly," Alessa said, finishing off her cake and setting her plate down on the table.

"Okay," George said, finishing his cake as well. "We can go. We'll close the shop that day."

"Sounds good. I'll remember to tell Katie this time," Alessa said, chuckling.

"Tell me what?" Katie asked, walking back into the room.

"We will be closed the first Saturday of May so we can go to the Memorial Service at Hogwarts," Alessa said as Katie sat back down.

"Oh good, I want to go to that too," Katie said. Alessa smiled at her, then went back into the shop to find something to do.

* * *

"Alessa, I just realized I've known you for almost a year now," Ginny said, following Alessa around the shop a couple weeks later.

"Yeah," Alessa said, not really listening.

"So, I still don't know when your birthday is," Ginny prompted.

"Oh, it's the last day of April," Alessa said, making a mark on the clipboard she was holding.

"What?" Ginny asked, voice raising. "That's less than a week away! Why didn't you tell me! What are we going to do? Maybe dinner, or something else? Maybe we can go out to a bar."

"Ginny," Alessa said firmly, turning around. "I don't want to go out. I don't see what the big deal is about birthdays, and I don't want any presents either," she said, seeing the gleam in Ginny's eyes fade as she talked. Ginny frowned at her.

"Well then what do you want to do?" Ginny asked.

"I dunno," Alessa shrugged. "I want to stay at home and eat dinner and watch a movie and go to sleep."

"Don't you do that every day?" Ginny asked, glaring at her.

"Yes, because I like it," Alessa said, turning back to the shelves. Ginny huffed and walked away.

It only took twenty minutes for George to find her.

"Ginny said your birthday is next week? Why did I not know that?" He asked, following her as she walked farther down the aisle she had been stocking.

"Because I don't want to do anything for it," Alessa shrugged. "I don't want any gifts, and I don't want to go out. I just want to stay in like we do every night." George nodded, and Alessa realized he would best understand not wanting to celebrate a birthday, since he didn't want to celebrate his either.

"Do you want anything in particular for dinner?" George asked.

"Why, are you going to cook it?" Alessa asked, grinning at him. He laughed.

"No, it wouldn't be edible if I tried to. But we could get something from a restaurant and bring it home," he said.

"Sure," Alessa said, then thought. "Maybe food from that one muggle Italian place a few blocks from my old flat? I miss their food."

"Sure," George said, giving her a light peck on the lips before leaving her to her work. "I'll get rid of Ginny," he said, winking, then disappearing back into the break room.

* * *

George sent Katie home after lunch on the last day of April, and they closed the shop a few hours early.

"Are you sure you don't want to eat here?" George asked as they walked in the Italian restaurant. Alessa looked down at herself, taking in the sweat pants and loose, long sleeved shirt she had thrown on after work, and shook her head.

"I'm not dressed to eat out," she said as they waited for someone to come up to the counter so they could place their to go order.

"You look beautiful," George said, squeezing the hand he held. She smiled softly, but still shook her head.

"I'd rather eat at home. It's not publicly indecent if we snuggle there," she said, then laughed with him.

They got their food and carried it home in the plastic bag the place had given them, dodging puddles and spots of mud as they went. The last two weeks had been surprisingly warm, melting off nearly all the snow that had been piled on the sides of the road for the many winter months, resulting in large puddles and lots of mush.

After they had finished eating and the first movie they watched had ended, George turned to her, holding out his closed fist in front of her. She held her hands cupped underneath it, her brow furrowed in confusion, until he dropped a tiny silver object into them. She looked at it closely, seeing a tiny piece of light reflected back at her from the square.

"It's a charm. For your bracelet," he said, pulling her left arm to him and turning the bracelet she always wore to attach the new charm to it, right next to the tiny ferris wheel he had given her after Valentine's day. "It's a mirror."

Alessa looked up at him smiling. She knew everything he wanted the mirror to represent, and though she had said she didn't want any gifts, it was the perfect one. She leaned her head back onto his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her again as the second movie of the evening started to play.

* * *

The memorial service passed with a lot of speeches and some crying. Hundreds of people had gathered in the Great Hall, sitting at long thin tables that had been placed along the hall in lieu of the wide house tables. People spoke about the war and about those who had been lost and the damage done, most of them ending their speeches by telling everyone present that unity among all wizardkind was the most important goal to strive for to prevent future wars from breaking out. Alessa sat with the Weasley's, all of whom had showed up. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been placed at the head table, and all of them had gotten up to make a speech. Alessa recognized a lot of the people sitting in the hall from her own school years, but she didn't greet any of them, unsure if they remembered who she was.

After the speeches and a meal, the crowd filtered out to the grounds and other parts of the castle. Near the black lake, a large pillar rose from the ground, a memorial carved with the names of every person who had fallen in the final battle, one side held the people on Harry's side, the other side held the people on Voldemort's side. It had been designed that way as a symbol to the survivors that all people were still people, no matter what they had done with their lives. A few people had spoken against this, but most thought it was a good idea. No one wanted to forget any part of the war, including the enemy side.

Alessa and George followed the rest of the Weasley's to the monument where Mrs. Weasley showed the the tiny names of Fred and others they had been close to. Alessa hung back through most of this, letting the family have their own moment. Afterword, the whole group, including Harry, Hermione, and Ron who had joined them as they walked, met up with some other people at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. They ordered drinks and food, and pushed four tables together to accommodate them. After the meal, Ginny stood from her spot between Alessa and Harry.

"Guys," she said, trying to talk over the crowd of her family. When no one heard her, George set off a loud pop from a tiny object he had pulled out of his pocked. He shrugged when Alessa raised her eyebrow at him, then they both grinned. Everyone at the table had turned to look at Ginny where she stood.

"So, now that you all are together, I have something I've been meaning to say. As some of you know, I got signed to play for England a few months ago, and as a few of you also know, I put off playing until next season. The reason for that," Ginny said, taking a deep breath. "Is that I'm pregnant. Three months along now," she said, but was cut off by the loud cheer that had raised from the table. Mrs. Weasley had burst into joyful tears, even Mr. Weasley's eyes were wetter than usual. All of Ginny's brothers had stood to hug her, knocking over quite a few chairs in the process.

The group stayed at the Three Broomsticks for many hours, celebrating the news and catching up with Charlie, who had been in Romania until a few days ago. Bill's wife Fleur was telling Ginny about all the things to keep in mind while expecting, and all the things she herself had gone through when expecting her first child who had been born only a two months ago. Alessa hadn't even remembered that the blonde woman had been expecting when she had seen her at christmas, but she hadn't really payed much attention.

Finally, as the sun was setting, the large group split up, going to their respective homes.

"So, you are getting a niece or nephew in a few months," Alessa said as they settled into the couch in the living room.

"I still haven't met the first one," George said, frowning slightly. "I knew Fleur was pregnant, I didn't know when she was due though, I guess I just didn't think about it."

"Well there's plenty of time to meet her," Alessa said. "She's only a few months old now."

"I know," George said, resting his head on top of hers as she leaned into him. "Do you ever want to have kids?" He asked after a few moments. Alessa sighed.

"I don't know. I'd like to, but what if they are like me?" She said, keeping her voice soft. It was a subject she had thought about quite a bit before she had even known George. "They would live their whole lives in fear of being captured and murdered. They wouldn't be able to have any friends in school, they would be too busy trying to learn what they can do, like I did," Alessa said. "I don't want to have kids if they are going to have to worry about wizards hating them if people ever find out what they can do."

"That makes sense," George said, nodding against her hair, then he yawned.

"Let's go to bed," Alessa said, wriggling out of his grasp and standing up. George nodded, then followed her down the hall to their room.

* * *

"I'm going out for lunch," Alessa called, waving to George from the bottom of the basement stairs.

"With Blaise?" He called back from the shelves he was placing items on.

"Yep, I'll be back in an hour or so," she said.

"Okay, have fun," George said, smiling at her. "Take an umbrella, it supposed to rain."

"Yes, mother. Bye," Alessa said sarcastically, then turned to walk up the stairs. "See you later Katie."

"Bye," Katie said from the counter where she was waiting for two customers to finish their shopping.

Alessa grabbed her purse and tucked a small umbrella into it before leaving the shop. Any remaining snow had melted away a few days ago when it had rained, and the sky had been overcast with dark clouds since then, threatening rain but not delivering more than a light mist. She walked to the Leakey Cauldron to apparate to the restaurant Blaise had picked in wizarding London.

"Blaise!" Alessa called when she landed, seeing him about to enter the restaurant. He turned and waved, waiting for her to catch up.

"How's it going?" He asked when she came within earshot.

"Good," she responded, walking into the restaurant with him. "Business at the shop has started to pick up a little. And I went to St. Mungo's last week."

"What for?" He asked as they followed the host to a booth.

"Well, I found out that if you want to, you can take the final exams for the classes they offer there without taking the actual classes, and you can still get the credit of finishing the class, so I took all their exams from the program they use to train their people who deal with reversing memory charms and other mind related accidents and injuries," she explained excitedly, settling into the booth.

"How did it go?" Blaise asked, sitting down across from her.

"It went great. I passed every test they gave me. If I wanted to now I could work in their memory ward as a fully certified junior healer," Alessa grinned.

"That's great! Are you going to?" Blaise asked making Alessa's grin drop from her face.

"Probably not," she said. "I don't want to work with memory charms and be confined to that ward. I'm still thinking about studying muggle healing."

"I never understood that. Surly wizard healing is more interesting," Blaise said, smiling.

"Nah, muggles have such creative methods of getting along without magic. It would be fun to learn, I think," Alessa said, then turned as the waiter approached them. Both of them ordered lunch, then returned to the conversation.

"If you say so," Blaise said, sipping his water. "I was never interested in muggle doctors. But muggle cars on the other hand, those are interesting. I want to figure out how they work." Alessa laughed at the look on his face.

"Maybe you should meet Mr. Weasley. He has an obsession with taking apart muggle things to figure out how they work. He probably has a car, or something like one," Alessa said, trying to remember if George had ever mentioned his dad having a car.

They ate in silence for a few minutes.

"So I heard the littlest Wesley is expecting," Blaise said. "Just what the world needs, more Weasley's."

Alessa hit him on the shoulder, but laughed anyway, having heard George say that exact same thing a few days ago.

"She's going to be a complete horror once the cravings start," Alessa said, shuddering at the thought. "I plan to avoid her as much as possible after that."

As Blaise opened his mouth to respond, two tall men wearing Auror cloaks approached the table. Alessa looked up at them in question.

"Are you Alessa Sarati and Blaise Zabini? Relatives of Katherine Zabini?" One of them asked, looking down at them. Alessa and Blaise looked at earn other, then back at the men.

"Yes, we are," Alessa said, then gasped as the men pulled them up from their chairs, holding their arms behind their backs. The other customers were looking up with interest at the commotion.

"You are both under arrest, please come with us quietly," the one holding Blaise said, wrapping cool metal cuffs around their wrists.

"What?" Blaise said loudly. "We didn't do anything. You can't arrest us," he continued. Alessa kicked him and shook her head, silently telling him to be quiet. She nodded at the people around them who were now openly staring, and Blaise closed his mouth. "Fine."

They walked out of the restaurant with the men, meeting two others who had waited outside the building. One of the men produced a port key and the others all touched it and waited only three seconds before it tugged them through the air.

Alessa stumbled when they landed, but she was kept on her feet by the man who had cuffed her. Blaise and Alessa followed them through a hallway and into another room, this one full of cells made of metal bars. Blaise and Alessa were uncuffed, then put into a cell together. When the men had left and the room was empty, Blaise turned to Alessa, rubbing his wrists.

"What's going on?" He asked her.

"I don't know," she said, but she felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. Another man walked into the room within a few minutes.

"I'm sorry to have you brought in like this," the man said, sitting on a bench in front of the cell, not looking sorry at all.

"Why are we here?" Blaise asked with anger in his voice. "You have no right to drag us about like this when we did nothing wrong."

"We brought you here because we received a ransom letter a few hours ago," the man said.

"A ransom letter?" Alessa asked, wrapping her hands around the bars and leaning forward.

"A ransom letter for Katherine Zabini," the man explained, watching their faces closely.

"Grandma? What happened to her? Where is she?" Blaise asked, coming to stand beside Alessa at the front of the cell.

"We don't know where she is. We searched her manor but there was no sign of any struggle. Naturally in a case such as this, we look to those who also had access to the manor, which would be the two of you and also your mother."

"She's not my mother, just his," Alessa said, assuming they meant Blaise's mom. "But that all doesn't explain why we are in here. Shouldn't we be questioned first?"

"We are currently questioning Mrs. Zabini," the man said calmly. "But that also is not why you are here. In the letter we received, the sender mentioned a few interesting facts about your family and your grandmother. One of the interesting facts is that your grandmother has the powers of an Empath."

Only years of controlling her emotions kept the surprise and fear from Alessa's face.

"What?" Blaise shouted, angry again. "There's no way that's true, I would have known about it. Didn't they all die out or something? And in the stories they are always evil, there's no way she is one, she's literally the nicest person I know," Blaise said, turning to Alessa for confirmation that the man out there was insane. Alessa schooled a shocked look on to her face, it wasn't hard to do. How had anyone found out about her? Then her face became worried as another thought hit her. She turned back to the man.

"You said you don't know where she is. So she's still gone? What did the ransom note ask for? I'll pay however much they want," Alessa said.

"They didn't ask for money. They asked for the rest of the family," the man said, rubbing his forehead. "You are here as much for your protection as you are because you were a suspect. But now that all the direct relatives are accounted for, we don't know who is behind it. We will take you in separately for questioning. You understand that we have to continue holding you here? If a case is made that one or more of your family members have Empath blood in them, we have to keep you all here in case any of you are lying to us and also have the empath blood," the man said, then stood as a short knock sounded on the other side of the door. "Someone will return for you in a little while. I suggest that you both tell the truth about what you know, if we find out that these claims of empath blood are true and you have lied, the consequences are very harsh." He turned and left the room.

"This is crazy!" Blaise said, hitting the bars with the palms of his hands. "There's no way that any of this can be true. Did you know about this?"

"Blaise, calm down," Alessa said, sitting cross legged on the floor. "Sit with me, I need to do something." She patted the floor next to her, and Blaise sat slowly, watching her. "Close your eyes and clear your mind," she instructed.

"Why?" Blaise said, copying her position on the floor, resting his hands on his knees with his back straight.

"Just do it please. And don't speak," Alessa said, closing her eyes. Blaise stared at her for a few moments, then closed his eyes too. Alessa grabbed his mind, pulling him into the long hallway where she kept everything in her mind.

"You can speak here," Alessa said, watching his form take shape. "I usually wouldn't do this, but I think we have an emergency."

"Where are we? What's going on?" Blaise said, looking at the hall quickly, then at her.

"I don't have time to explain, just watch," Alessa said, turning to the middle of the hall. She closed her eyes, pulling memories and thoughts out of their respective rooms into the hall, building a picture for Blaise. Blaise watched and listened with wide eyes as she pulled out everything she could to explain as much as possible. After only seconds, the images faded, returning to their rooms, and she opened her eyes again.

"Oh my god," Blaise said, taking a step back. Alessa panicked, thinking he was going to leave.

"Please," she said, grabbing his arm and falling to her knees. "Please, you have to see that we aren't bad people. Those stories were just stories, they aren't true. I know it's a lot to take in but please, you have to believe me," Alessa said, tears beginning to fall down her face.

"Alessa," Blaise said after a moment, kneeling with her. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them with a sigh. "Okay. It's weird, but I believe you. What do we do?"

"I'm going to get you out of here," Alessa said, wiping her eyes. "You have to go to George. Tell him everything that has happened today, he will think of something. Tell him I said he can tell anyone he trusts if it will help. And he has to do it quickly, otherwise they will kill Aunt."

"They'll kill her? What for?" Blaise said, shocked.

"I don't have time," Alessa said, standing up to pace in a circle. "Tell George it's okay to show his own memories to the others if they don't believe him." She was trying to think of a way to get everyone out of this, but nothing was coming to mind. "Wait here," Alessa said, getting an idea. She spread out her consciousness, leaving her body and the room they were in. There were two guards outside the door, but they weren't talking. She poked her mind into each room she passed in the hall, looking for the one where Blaise's mother was being questioned.

"I have no idea what any of this is about," Alessa heard someone cry. She entered the room, floating near the ceiling. Blaises mother was secured to a chair, crying. "I swear, I had no idea!"

"All right, Mrs. Zabini. Clearly you don't know what's going on, we don't even have proof that the kidnappers claim is true. We will have to keep you here though, in case it is."

"I understand," Baise's mother said, still crying. The man stood and un-cuffed her hands, then began to lead her down the hallway. Alessa flew back to her body.

"Your mom just finished the questioning. She didn't know anything, but they are coming here now. You have to act like you still don't know anything. Just, act angry to be here or something," Alessa said quickly.

"How do you know all this?" Blaise asked, looking at her suspiciously.

"There's no time," Alessa snapped. "Open your eyes."

"They are open," Blaise said, confused. Alessa sighed, then slapped him. He disappeared, and she opened her eyes and stood to pace, just as the door was opened.

"You next," a man said, pointing to Blaise. Blaise stood to walk to the door, brushing Alessa's arm as he passed. Alessa sighed as the door closed, then sat on the floor again to go listen to Blaise's questioning. She hoped they didn't use truth serum, there's no way he would be able to avoid telling what he knew if they did, then she had an idea. She entered his mind, making him jump slightly, but he couldn't do anything without the questioner noticing. She wasn't sure if he could hear her if he wasn't there with her, but she spoke anyway.

"I don't know if you can hear me," Alessa said, looking around the jumbled mess that she was coming to realize was normal for someone who didn't meditate and organize their mind on a regular basis. "I'm going to try to lock up your most recent memories, in case they question you with Veritaserum," she said. No form of acknowledgement came from Blaise, so she just focused on finding the memories. She found them, and closed her eyes to focus on making something in her own mind, then pulled it into his mind. A chest appeared, and she put all the recent memories into it, locking it with a padlock that had appeared with it. She sighed, not knowing if that would help, then she jumped as a silver-white mist started filling his mind, slowly reaching into any tiny spaces, pulling things out, ghosting over them, then leaving them. She backed away as the tendrils reached the chest, rattling it around, then flowing over it toward her. She left his mind, jumping back into the room to listen.

"Did you have any prior knowledge of anyone in your family having empathetic tendencies?" The questioner asked, watching Blaise's blank face.

"No, I did not," Blaise said.

"And now that you know about your grandmother, is there anything you can recall of her spending unexplained amounts of time with anyone else? Periods of time when you have no idea what went on?" The questioner asked, and Alessa wondered how much he already knew, or guessed, about how the Empath gift worked.

"No, I don't remember," Blaise said, this time shaking his head a little from side to side.

Satisfied that Blaise wouldn't say anything about her, she left the room, going back to her own body. Finally, a man brought Blaise back into the room, and led Alessa to the questioning room. As the questioner left for a moment, Alessa closed her eyes, jumping back into Blaise's mind to unlock the chest she has brought there to let his memories out.

She opened her eyes seconds later to see the questioner closing the door.

"Now, Alessa, I'd prefer to not have to give you any of this," he said, holding up a tiny silver vial that was labeled Veritserum. "It is very important that you tell us everything you know of your family, and anything you can remember of your parents, who I'm told passed away nearly four years ago. Have you know of anyone, living or deceased, in your family that had empathetic abilities?"

"I'd like to take the Veritserum please, sir," Alessa said, twisting her wrist in its binding into a more comfortable position.

"You want to take it?" He asked in surprise.

"I don't want to leave any doubt that what I say is true," she explained. He nodded, moving to lift the vial to her mouth. "Wait, can you guarantee that if my family is innocent, you will let us go?"

"If there was a way to prove that none of you knew anything about this and there is no empath blood in your line, then yes, you will be let go." Alessa nodded, and swallowed the truth serum. She waited a few moments, letting it flood through her mind. She felt her face relax, and started speaking.

"Blaise Zabini and his mother know nothing of empaths, all they know is what the old stories say," Alessa said. "My great aunt, Kathrine Zabini is an Empath, and I carry the empath gene from her side of the family, but we are nothing like those old stories. That empaths are evil and control emotions is false, we have no way of doing so. Both of my parents were empaths, but everyone on my fathers side of the family is dead, and I am the only remaining member of my mothers family besides my great aunt. If whoever took my great aunt knows the proper spells, they can kill my aunt and absorb the power to control emotions, this is where the old stories come from. We told no one else in the family, to keep them safe and ourselves safe," Alessa paused, choosing her words carefully. "My mother taught me that if people outside the family knew about us, they would kill us. She said to never tell anyone." There, Alessa thought. Nothing she had said would incriminate anyone else who wasn't already dead or arrested.

The man's jaw had dropped and remained open throughout her speech. He had obviously expected her to deny all charges. His mouth snapped closed when she fell silent, then he stood.

"Blaise and his mother will be released, they knew nothing of any of this which was proven by their questioning," he said. Alessa let out a quiet breath.

"You will be sent to Azkaban until we figure out what to do with you," he continued, making Alessa frown. She had expected to stay here but she nodded anyway, obviously not having a choice in the matter. "We can't let you out to tell others about this, it might encourage the kidnapper to do something drastic." Alessa nodded again. She might not agree with the mans line of reason, but she didn't really have any other options.

The next few minutes passed in a flurry of activity, people were rushing around, carrying papers, or talking to others who also rushed off. The few snippets of conversation that Alessa could catch let her know that Blaise and his mother had been sent home and were under house arrest, which made Alessa worry about how Blaise would be able to leave to get to George. She also picked up that the whole ordeal was to be kept under wraps, they didn't want news of anything to get out. Finally, a man escorted Alessa to a room where two dementors floated. The room was freezing, and a few tears leaked from her eyes as all the positive emotions drained out of her, leaving her to feel hopeless and depressed. The dementors took deep, rattling breaths, making Alessa shake slightly where she stood, both from the cold and the fear.

She was still cuffed with her hands behind her back, and one of the wizards wrapped a length of rope through her arm around her elbow, then another wizard touched the end of the rope and she realized it was a port key. It flashed bright white and when they landed, she felt a stronger cold fall over her, and looked up to see the tall stone tower of Azkaban Prison, surrounded by fifty yards of choppy sea water. She shuddered as the wizards led her to a cell, the dementors gliding behind them. As the door shut behind her, the cuffs vanished from her wrists and she brought her arms in front of her, rubbing them to get her blood flowing again. She sat on the bed which was the only accommodation in the cell besides a low basin with a drain that she assumed was the toilet. The walls were solid stone, the only openings in the cell were a small barred window in the stone door, for air probably, and a long, thin metal flap at the bottom of the door, she assumed that was for meals. She could hear people in the distance, moaning and crying.

Alessa wished for a moment that she had her wand, which had been taken from her upon arrival at the ministry. She could do with a warming charm now, and she had gotten so good at them in the last few months working in the shop. She briefly considered attempting a wandless charm, but she assumed the cell was warded against any kind of magic being performed. Alessa lay back on the bed, closing her eyes and breathing slowly. When she focused, she came into her mind, breathing a sigh of relief that she was still able to. Silver mist still filled the halls and rooms, leftover truth potion. She thought for a moment, then closed her eyes, creating a new door and taking a page out of George's book. She pulled the door open to an expanse of grassy hills, leading down to a lake with trees scattered around it and a blue sky with a bright, warm sun overhead. Alessa let out a breath, glad to escape the dark, cold cell, even if just for a little bit. She didn't know how long she would have to wait here, hopefully not more than a few days. She knew that spending too long in the cell around the dementors would drive her insane. She sat on the grass, letting the sun warm her face, and spent her energy on clearing her thoughts and trying not to worry about the future.

The hours passed slowly, and Alessa eventually fell asleep, laying on the grassy slope in her mind.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen: Trial

Alessa was not sure how many days had passed, there was no natural light in the cell so she couldn't tell when night came. She had slept four times now, and someone had brought food by a few times. Most of the food she received was bread and a thin, watery soup. She ate hardly anything, something about the place just made her appetite vanish. Early the first day, she had gone over every inch of the cell looking for anything she had missed at first glance, and she had discovered a small tap sticking out of the wall next to the toilet. When she turned it on she discovered that it piped clean water into the room, and it was high enough on the wall that she could crouch under it and let it rinse out her hair and clothes, both of which had grown dirty quickly with all the dust floating in the air.

She had tried a few times to stretch her consciousness out of the prison and off the little island, hoping to find someone she knew so she could figure out what was going on, but she failed to make it over the water before snapping back into her body.

She had just thought about going to sleep again when a clang sounded outside her cell, making her sit up. The grassy place in her mind had kept her sane the last few days, but she wanted to get out of there.

The tall dark haired man who had spoken to her and Blaise at the ministry entered the cell, and Alessa could just see the flowing edges of a dementor's cloak standing in front of the doorway, behind the man.

"Ms. Sarati," the man said, stopping a few feet from her. "As you know, we sent you here because we couldn't be sure if you were dangerous or not, being what you are," he said. Alessa frowned. She had never been told why exactly they kept her here, but she figured they would say something like this.

"I'm not-" Alessa tried to say, but her voice cracked with disuse. She coughed and tried again. "I'm not dangerous."

"Of course you wouldn't think so, but we have come across many of your grandmother's records-" He began, but she cut him off.

"She's not my grandmother," Alessa said angrily. "And if you have had enough time to search through her things, you should have had time to find her."

"Yes, I did come here to inform you that we have found her," he said, unaffected by her tone. "Her body was found in an abandoned warehouse by muggle policemen. A team of aurors obliviated the muggles involved and reclaimed the body to run diagnostic spells."

"Her body?" Alessa repeated, falling back against the bed. The man made no move to further explain. Alessa hadn't expected this. Not at all, though the reasonable part of her mind told her she should have, it was the only logical thing for the kidnapper to do when his ransom letter wasn't obeyed.

"We went through her records and we have discovered multiple instances where she wrote about leaving her mind and going into someone else's mind," the man said, and Alessa looked up, tears running down her face. "As you can probably figure out, we cannot let someone with this power run freely through the public, where anything could provoke you into taking control someone else's mind. We could not possibly let you free," the man said. His voice held no sympathy, only contempt.

"Don't I get a trial?" Alessa croaked, slumping over on her bed.

"We are required by recent laws to allow you a trial, but chances are you will be found guilty of having this ability, and you will spend your remaining days here, which is where you belong," he said cooly. Alessa looked up at him, no longer crying, her face stony.

"I demand a lawyer," she stated, hoping it was within her rights to do so.

"Ministry records indicate you do not have a personal lawyer, one will be assigned to you, for what good it'll do," he said, then turned and left the cell, letting the door fall closed behind him. Alessa scowled after him, thinking.

This was completely unfair, there had to be something she could do. She laid back on the bed, closing her eyes and breathing deeply again. She was determined to find someone who could tell her what was going on, her anger pushing her farther than she had gone before. She saw miles of dark water pass underneath her as she flew, and in the distance she saw land approaching, and forced herself to keep going. She knew London was several hundred miles from where Azkaban Prison was located, but she pushed on, flying at an almost blinding speed, following the tags she had developed on her friends subconsciously after spending so much time with them. She flew past buildings and farms, herds of cattle and vast forests, finally approaching the huge city. She could feel the people she had spent a lot of time around, George, Ginny, even Blaise, and she flew toward them. She came to a stop outside of where Ginny's house should have been, but Alessa could no longer see the building. She closed her eyes, following the threads forward until she passed through a door, and looked around her. Ginny, Blaise, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and George sat on couches and chairs pulled in around a large low table filled with ancient looking books and parchments, all of them reading in silence.

Alessa pushed her way into George's mind, feeling him jump in surprise, then go limp as he closed his eyes, his head falling against the back of the couch.

"Alessa!" He yelled, materializing in the round stone room that was his mind. Alessa fell into his arms, crying as she hugged him tightly. She was vaguely aware of people prodding George where he had fallen back against the couch.

"Go tell them I'm here. I'm guessing you already told them about me?" Alessa asked. George nodded.

"Sort of. We are looking up all the old information about empaths. Hermione is trying to build a case for you to get you out," George said, not letting go of her.

"I have a lot to tell you, first let them know you are okay," Alessa said. George nodded again, his arms tightening around her for a moment before vanishing. She heard him telling them what was going on for a second, then he was back.

"I went to Hermione as soon as Blaise came to the shop. She works in the law department at the ministry. She's never acted as a lawyer before, but she said she will try to pull some strings and get assigned to your case," George said into her hair, having immediately wrapped her in his arms upon reappearing.

"The man who came to my cell today said they can't let someone who can control people's minds run freely in public. He said I could have a trial but he seemed so sure I would be staying in Azkaban for the rest of my life," a few tears leaked from her eyes as she talked, and she wiped them away angrily. She was done with tears. "He said they found my aunt's body in a warehouse," she gulped down the lump in her throat. "If the people behind this knew the right spells, chances are they can now control emotions. You have to be careful of them. If they try to fight any of you, they will win by making you loyal to them or something like that. You have to be careful."

"You have no idea who did this? Who knew?" George asked, still holding her. Alessa shook her head.

"I don't know. She never said she told anyone and the only person I told was you," Alessa said, sniffling. George held her at arms length.

"I had nothing to do with that, Alessa," he said seriously. "I swear on my life, I didn't tell anyone and I didn't plan anything."

"I know you didn't. I wasn't accusing you," Alessa said softly. George's mouth turned up into a small smile, then he frowned.

"You don't look good," he said, looking her over.

"I've never been this far from my body before. I don't know what kind of affects it will have," Alessa said. "Does Blaise know about aunt?"

"He didn't say anything about it if he does," George said, shaking his head.

"Can you tell him please? In case he doesn't know," Alessa asked. George nodded again. "Can you also tell him I'm sorry for before, he will understand. Ask Hermione if there's any way I could be classified as a magical creature or something. And tell her the empath abilities come from genetics, not a spell."

"Are you leaving?" George asked, holding her close again.

"I can't be away for too long, I don't know what will happen," Alessa said. "Tell Blaise something else too," she added, suddenly remembering something from her first ever lesson with her aunt. "My aunt kept family history books, and there might be some information on empaths in them. She has a hidden compartment in her room. It's underneath the second board to the left of her wardrobe. It has a blood spell on it, only people with her blood can open it, so I doubt the aurora's have found it yet. There might be something there that Hermione can use. All he needs to do is hold his hand against the board and speak his full name, it should open."

George's face grew worried as he pulled away again.

"What is it?" Alessa asked, watching him frown.

"Blaise was under house arrest," George said, and Alessa nodded. "Well, to find me, he took a tunnel from the house to outside the grounds. He is technically in hiding right now. Harry placed the house under the Fidelius charm again, so no one can get to the house unless he tells them the address. It will be hard to get Blaise back into the manor."

"You will find a way," Alessa said, starting to develop a headache. "I need to go now, I think. Thank you for helping me," she said as he pulled her into another hug.

"I love you," George said, a few tears leaking out of his eyes.

"I love you too. This will all be okay," Alessa said, trying to convince herself as much as George. He nodded, then he pulled back, disappearing. Alessa heard him start to tell everyone around the table what she had said, then she was pulled out of the house, being half dragged toward her body.

When she opened her eyes in her gloomy cell, she nearly let out a sob before catching herself. Three trays had been shoved under the door in her absence, letting her know she had been gone for more than an entire day. She tried eating the cold soup, but it made her stomach hurt, so she dumped it down the drain in the bottom of the toilet. Her stomach still hurt and her head began to pound as she laid on the bed and curled into a ball trying to block out the cold of the cell.

* * *

Alessa spent most of her time in Azkaban in her mind, sitting on the grassy hill, swimming in the lake, and laying in the sun. It was the only way she could avoid the depressing air of the prison, but eventually it started to leak into her mind, and she couldn't get away. She had lost count of the days she had been there. Originally she had realized that they fed her twice a day so she had kept count by that, but after the first week and a half she had stopped counting. She had lost a lot of weight, having no appetite at all. She had always been small, but now her hips stuck out in harsh angles, and her ribs stood out sharply. She guessed it had been nearly a month now, and she had nearly given up expecting someone to come for her. The cold caused by the dementors made her huddle in the corner on her bed, the thin blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She had trouble carrying a single thought, losing focus as soon as she tried to think of anything in particular. She was losing track of herself.

Eventually she stopped going into her mind, the darkness had polluted the setting she had built, making the sky dark and cloudy and the grass turn brown beneath her feet. The lake became cold and choppy, and strong winds swept over the hills, making her shiver. She tried changing her tactics, going over all the things she had learned during her school years and after words, but she slipped in and out of a daze, forgetting where she was only to come back confused, trying to grasp her thoughts.

She gave up trying to distract herself and let her mind wander where it wanted. She slept often, weakened from malnourishment. She had begun to force herself to eat the food they brought her, but often times it made her stomach clench and she would throw it up.

"Stand up," a loud voice said, cutting through Alessa's mind. She opened her eyes but couldn't bring herself to unwrap her arms from her legs to get off the bed. She shut her eyes again, not sure if she had heard the voice or imagined it. A sharp pain bloomed from the side of her head and she was yanked to her feet by a bruising grip on her arm. She stumbled and fell, landing on her knees, only to be jerked up again.

"Walk, or I'll drag you," the person said, and Alessa made herself move. Her legs felt weak, but they held her weight as she got her balance. She was still wearing the jeans and t-shirt she had been wearing when they arrested her, but the clothes hung loosely on her now, her pants would have fallen off if she hadn't had a belt. She had been poking new holes in the material for the last few weeks so that it would still hold up her pants.

The man led her out of the room and down a long stone corridor to another, larger room. He shoved her inside, closing the door behind her and she just barely caught her balance before what must have been gallons of slightly warmed water fell on her, washing off the dirt she had gathered in the last few weeks since the last time she had rinsed off under the spout in her cell. Alessa gasped, inhaling water and coughed loudly as the water shut off. The man opened the door again, waving his wand at her so she wasn't dripping water on the floor of the hallway. He led her down another hall, eventually leading her outside where she tripped again, closing her eyes against the burning light of a sun she hadn't seen in weeks. The man didn't even bother to slow his pace, just dragging her along to the end of a pathway where another person was waiting. They took a portkey, and Alessa could open her streaming eyes again as they landed, the room they were in was dimly lit.

"Wait here, and don't try anything funny," the man said, pushing her into a chair. Alessa blinked, trying to focus her mind. It was easier now that the dementors weren't nearby. It must finally be time for her trial, she hoped that the others had found something to use. Come to think of it, she wasn't even sure if Hermione had been allowed to work on her case. Alessa coughed again, trying to clear her throat. She used her sleeve to wipe her face, trying to make sure all the dirt had been washed off, then she tried to braid her hair, but couldn't hold her arms behind her for long enough, so she settled for finger combing it quickly and tying it in a knot with the hair tie that had basically melded to her wrist in her time in the cell. It all stayed back, thankfully, she didn't want to appear too much of a mess. And she would not cry, she promised herself, though that was about all she felt like doing at the moment.

The door opened again, letting in light from the hall and three people, the two who had brought her there, and Hermione. Alessa watched her as she walked through the door, wearing professional 'court' robes and walking with purpose. Hermione caught her eye and looked away quickly.

"This is Hermione Granger, the witch assigned as your lawyer. It's her first case," the man said, smirking as though he doubted she would even know how to address the court. Hermione narrowed her eyes slightly, then turned away from the man to address the other person.

"I think you will find that as Ms. Sarati's lawyer, I have the right to speak privately with my client," Hermione said sharply, making the grin fade from the man's face. The other person nodded.

"You may do as you like," the other person said. The large man growled under his breath, then stalked out of the room, the other person following.

Hermione waved her wand, casting the muffliato charm, then waved her wand at Alessa, really cleaning off her clothes and hair.

"Please tell me you will get me out of there,"" Alessa croaked, making Hermione conjure a cup and fill it with water, pushing it across the table at her.

"I have a few things to try," Hermione said softly. "The books we got from your aunt's room really helped. I think I've built up a strong case for you, but Alessa," she said, looking sad. "Most wizards fear empaths. A lot of people will want you to stay in prison, and others will want you to receive the dementor's kiss. They think that they angered you by locking you up and now if they let you go, you will take revenge on them. I don't want you to lose all hope, but it doesn't look too good. I think I might be able to twist some things around in your favor, but I just don't know. Harry and I have been talking to people in the ministry, getting them on your side, but no one outside the ministry knows about what's happened, and they aren't letting anyone outside of the Wizengamot into the hearing. Oh, I wish Dumbledore were here, he would know exactly how to get you out of this," Hermione said, pacing the room. Alessa gulped the water, but felt nauseous as Hermione continued to talk.

"If it helps you at all, I think I've figured out how to lie under truth serum," Alessa said. It was one of the first things she had thought about in her cell. She had gotten the idea from her questioning. "I just have to word everything the right way. And I spent a lot of time the first few weeks locking away things in my mind that I don't want to tell. I should be able to keep anyone out of my head now, though I'm not sure if I still can, I've been losing the strength to try anything the last few weeks."

Hermione had stopped pacing to stare at her, but continued when she fell silent.

"That might come in handy, if my first idea doesn't work," Hermione said, then jumped as someone banged on the door. "None of them know I know you, so don't change that," she said quickly under her breath as the door opened.

"Time's up," the man from before said. "Lets go."

Alessa stood on her own, feeling a little better after the water, and she trailed behind them into a large circular room with a chair in the middle, surrounded by raised seats that were half filled with old witches and wizards in long black robes.

The man shoved Alessa down into the seat which sprang to life, wrapping chains around her hands, arms, and legs. Alessa gasped in surprise then snapped her mouth shut and sat back against the chair, holding her head up to the crowd, keeping a blank expression on her face. She recognized the minister of magic, and scanned the other faces, not knowing who any of them were.

The minister sat in the very middle of a long table set in front of the seating. He looked at Hermione with a quick questioning glance, and Hermione nodded subtly. Alessa hoped he was one of the people Hermione had gotten onto her side.

"Let us begin," The minister's voice rang out, bringing the muttering in the room to a halt. "Disciplinary hearing of the fifteenth of July," he started, and a small woman at the end of the table jumped to write what he was saying onto a long scroll of parchment in front of her. Alessa let out a small gasp. It had been nearly a month longer that she had guessed, making her time in Azkaban nearly two full months rather than one. The minister continued, stating his name and rank and then the names and ranks of the others sitting at the front table, then stating Hermione's name, labeling her as the accused's representation.

Finally he turned his eyes to Alessa.

"You are Alessa Isabelle Sarati, currently residing at number 212 of Diagon Alley Main Street, am I correct?"

"Yes sir," Alessa said quietly.

"Your charges are as follows," he said, his deep voice echoing from the walls. "You knowingly carry empath blood and have not reported such to the Ministry of Magic. You have knowingly allied yourself with others that carry empath blood, and have not reported such persons to the Ministry of Magic. You are able to perform unknown magics that have been banned including but not limited to mind control, emotional manipulation, and forcing your spirit to leave your body, which could allow you to take control of someone else's body and mind. You have hidden yourself from the Ministry of Magic, failing to come forward about the Dark Magic's that your parents taught to you, as listed previously. How do you plead to these charges?"

Alessa paused to think of what he had said, he had described things far clearer than she would have expected. She looked at Hermione and took in her thoughtful face. Alessa had the sudden thought that the Minister had purposely spelled everything out for Hermione to find arguments against. Hermione glanced at her and moved her head in the tiniest of shakes.

"I plead not guilty," Alessa said, looking up at the people around her who had burst into quiet whispers at her statement.

"Very well," the minister nodded. "Please present your defense, Ms. Granger," he said, looking to Hermione.

"Minister, I have spent the last few weeks researching the history of empaths and their association with wizards. I have found many ancient books explaining the various abilities of said people. I'm not sure if you were aware of this," Hermione said, turning to look at the group of wizards and witches around her. "But empath abilities do not run in the blood," she paused to let the gasps fade. "If this were so, any person who had empath abilities would be able to give others their abilities merely by coming in contact with their blood. The empath abilities are passed down through genetics," Hermione said, then turned back to the minister who nodded.

"Given this new information, Alessa did not knowingly carry empath blood, she did not chose to take the powers any more than any of us chose to become witches or wizards, it was given to her through birth," Hermione said, pausing for a response.

"She may not have know to begin with, but she did not report it to the Ministry when she discovered it," the minister said, his voice holding the smallest tone of warning.

"The Ministry of Magic has never before required witches and wizards to report new magic they have learned. Alessa did not report this to the ministry for the simple reason that she did not have to. Nowhere in any law does it mention empaths having to report themselves to the Ministry. In fact, empaths are not specifically mentioned in any laws that have been put into effect in the last hundred years, unless you qualify empaths as 'mythical beasts' which would then put them under the same laws as other humanoid creatures such as merpeople and centaurs, neither of which are required to notify the Ministry when new beings come into life, nor when they develop any special abilities. Centaurs are commonly known for having the ability to read the future from the stars, yet there are no records available that tell which centaurs have developed this ability. Merpeople are often accused of luring sailors from their ships in the sea with their song, yet no records show any of them reporting to the Ministry," Hermione had paced as she talked, hands grasped behind her back. She paused now to look up at the minister and the other people who had begun whispering again.

"We do not qualify empaths as 'Mythical Creatures'," He said, nodding for her to continue.

"So you qualify people with empathetic abilities as fully human beings with magical power?" Hermione questioned, wanting to clarify her previous statements.

"We do," the minister nodded.

"Then any accusations against her of lying to the Ministry through omission are unfounded on the count that Alessa is, in fact, merely a witch who has spent more time studying her own emotions than other witches and wizards have," Hermione stated, causing loud murmuring to break out. Alessa watched her with widened eyes.

"You do not give trial to Animagi simply because they are further advanced in transfiguration than most other witches an wizards. Special abilities themselves are not cause for imprisonment," Hermione said, looking to the minister.

"Very well," he said, looking at those around him. "According to our very laws, we can not hold the charges of not reporting herself to the Ministry of Magic, those charges have been dropped. The remaining charges addressing the use of dark and forbidden magic's still apply," he said, looking back down at Hermione.

"The history of empathetic people does state that the abilities vary from person to person. Many with the empathetic gene are merely a small bit more aware of how those around them are feeling," Hermione began, but was interrupted by an old witch who stood.

"Where is your proof of this?" The woman asked in a harsh voice. "There have been no written accounts of empaths for hundreds of years. The wizarding world was under the impression that they had died out."

"I have ancient tomes that were held in Zabini Manor for hundreds of years," Hermione said, walking to a low table by the door that Alessa had not noticed and gingerly picking up a thick, yellowed book. She set it in front of the minister. "I ask that you be careful with this book, the pages nearly crumble when they are jostled." Hermione set the book open in front of him, turned to a page that he read quickly.

"This book was written by a woman called Elizabeth Pevrell, who was an empathetic person herself. As some of you may know, the Pevrell's were an old pureblood wizarding family until the name died out nearly a hundred years ago. They founded St. Mungo's Hospital and Elizabeth's husband Harold invented the skele-gro potion as well as many other potions now used in healing." Many of the people around them were nodding, so Hermione cut off her explanation.

"I would like to have this book, and any other history books you have acquired on this subject to be copied by Ministry scribes, if you don't mind," the minister said to Hermione who nodded. "As this page in the book details, the affects of the empathetic gene contain different levels of abilities, sometimes making for very powerful empathetic people, other times not letting any ability manifest at all."

"Yes," Hermione said, turning back to the crowd. "As you will discover in the rest of the book, even the most powerful empathetic people had no way of occupying another's mind, nor were they able to manipulate anyone's emotions but their own, or control another's mind, though it is listed that some could give their emotions to others, and a few could leave their own minds to travel to someone else's, though they could not manipulate the mind, merely observe it," Hermione said, ignoring the muttering around them.

"We have no way to prove that what this book says is true," an old wizard said, standing. "We have no way of knowing that you or someone else did not fabricate this evidence. This book exists nowhere else, and is hundreds of years out of date. For all we know, the abilities could have grown or changed over these hundred years, allowing this girl to have abilities not stated in the books."

"Actually, sir, I have found similar, more modern books in the library at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I was unable to bring them here today, but you may send someone to look at them if you would like," Hermione stated. The minister nodded and the man sat down.

"That doesn't explain the ransom letter that prompted this whole event," another witch said, standing. "In the letter, the writer threatened to kill the old woman if he didn't get the rest of the family members. Why would he wish to obtain the rest of the family if not to steal the empath power through blood magic?"

"I found nothing in any of the books that indicated being able to steal the empath ability," Hermione said, then glances at Alessa when she cleared her throat loudly.

"Actually, that is part of my family history. It wouldn't be in any books you could find in the Zabini house though, the empaths who survived the hunts hundreds of years ago destroyed as many as possible. The only place you could find any mention of that would be in books of dark magic," Alessa began, ignoring the warning look from Hermione and the muttering from the crowd.

"There," the witch said, jumping back to her feet and pointing at Alessa. "Empath powers are acquired through dark magic."

The minister raised a hand to quite the room.

"Please continue Ms. Sarati," he said, looking at her.

"Hundreds of years ago, a wizard discovered that if you take someone with the empath gene and cast certain spells over them, then kill them, the wizard would then gain the power to manipulate the emotions of other. When this news spread, many wizards and witches began hunting empaths, driving them nearly to extinction. The myths of empaths controlling people come from this practice. People born with the empath gene can not do that, and we wouldn't want to. If you could feel the emotions of people around you, why would you want to bring them harm? You would only be hurting yourself." Alessa stopped talking after the tiniest shake of the head from Hermione.

The room was silent for a few minutes.

"That doesn't explain why your people destroyed all those books. Why do that unless you were trying to hide evidence of dark magic?" A wizard said, standing to address the room. He wasn't being cruel, just asking in confusion.

"They destroyed the books that contained the spells to steal our magic, so that others could not do the same," Alessa answered calmly, meeting his eyes.

"She could be lying," a witch said after another few moment of silence.

"May I recommend veritaserum?" Hemione asked, looking to the minister. "If we can guarantee that Alessa does not have the ability to manipulate or control others, she has committed no crime." He nodded, handing her a small vial that had been sitting next to him on the table. Hermione carried it over to Alessa, tipping it into her mouth. Alessa let the silver fog fill her mind, trying not to lose focus. She didn't think she would have to lie, but she kept her wits about her just in case.

"Alessa Sarati," the minister began. "Do you have the ability to control or manipulate the mind of anyone who is not yourself?"

"I do not have the ability to control or manipulate others in any way," she said, repeating it word for word so they knew she wasn't lying by wording it differently. The minister nodded.

"And are you able to leave your mind and occupy another persons body?" He asked.

"I do not have the ability to occupy another person's body," Alessa said. He nodded again.

"Do you have to power to enter another persons mind?" He asked. Her heart sunk at the question.

"I can sense another persons emotions, and often I know the thoughts behind sudden changes in emotion," Alessa said, slightly avoiding the question. The room broke into murmurs.

"And can you change the thoughts or emotions of another person when you feel them?" He asked.

"I can not. I merely observe them. I can block them out if I concentrate, to give them privacy which I try to do most of the time," Alessa said, making some of the muttering die down.

"Do you have the ability to share your own emotions with others?" The minister asked, leaning forward slightly.

"I can do so," Alessa said.

"And have you ever done so without the other person's consent or knowledge?" He asked. Alessa broke out in a light sweat, hoping she was not wrong about locking her memories away.

"I have never hurt anyone with any of my abilities," she said, causing Hermione to turn slightly.

"That is not the question I asked Ms. Sarati," the minister said, a small groove appearing between his brows. Alessa looked down for a moment, then back up at the crowd.

"I have given an emotion to someone without their knowledge or consent in the past," Alessa said, causing muttering to break out and Hermione to frown slightly.

"Please describe each occurrence of this," the minister said.

"Nearly half a year ago a friend of mine was going through a difficult loss," Alessa said. "I gave him a continuous flow of comfort, hoping to ease his pain if I could." Hermione gave a tiny nod. "I did this for a few weeks."

"Does this person know what occurred?" The minister asked.

"Yes he does, and I stopped when he asked me to," Alessa said.

"And this is the only time you have done this?" The minister asked.

"Yes. I did not know how to do it before this instance. As you know, my parents passed away many years ago, so I had no one to teach me how to use my abilities," Alessa said.

"What of your great aunt, Kathrine Zabini? Was she not also an empath?" A wizard asked, standing.

"She was," Alessa said, nodding to him. "But she was unable to teach me more than what she could do."

"And what was that?" The minister asked.

"She taught me how to meditate and clear my mind so that I would not lose control over my own emotions when I became overwhelmed. She taught me how to block out the emotions of others, only letting them through when I wanted them to. She taught me how to organize my mind into compartments to keep better track of my thoughts and memories so I don't forget anything. Everything else, I learned on my own," Alessa said.

"And what is this 'everything else' you learned on your own?" The minister asked.

"I learned how to give my emotions to others by remembering myself in a situation where I felt that emotion, and then pushing the idea out of myself toward whoever I intended it to go to. I learned that after spending a lot of time around a specific person, I could sense them in my mind, where they are and any strong change in emotion over a distance, like an invisible connection to them. I don't know how to stop that from happening or how to change it," Alessa said, detailing the less incriminating things while still avoiding mentioning that she could enter another person's mind. Sweat rolled down her back as she waited for the minister's next question.

"Does anyone have any further questions?" He asked the room at large. When no one stood or spoke, he turned back to Hermione. "It is apparent that no dark magic or forbidden spells were in use in this case. We will now vote. All in favor of continuing to press the charges?" Alessa couldn't look up. She heard some movement and closed her eyes.

"And all in favor of dropping all charges and releasing the accused?" More movement came to her ears in the form of rustling cloaks.

"Very well," the minister said and Alessa finally looked up. "All charges have been dropped, Alessa, you are free to return home." The chair sprung to life again, unwrapping the chains. Alessa got to her feet, shaking, and followed Hermione out of the room in silence.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen: Home

"Wait for me here," Hermione said, leaving Alessa in the small room she had been in before the trial began. "I'm going to go find Harry. I wasn't allowed to tell them when your trial would be, so no one else knows yet. I'll see if Harry can bring you home, I will have to stay here to file the paperwork from this case." Alessa nodded and Hermione left the room quickly.

A few minutes later, the large man who had brought her there from Azkaban entered the room, glaring at her. Her skin crawled as his presense filled the room and anger rolled off of him in waves.

"Just because they all bought your little act for now doesn't mean we all believe you," he snarled. "Your people killed my great grandfather and his father with your dark magic. I will be watching you girl, waiting."

"That is enough," the minister said, opening the door. "Get out," he said, pointing to the hallway.

"Yes minister," the man said, bowing slightly then scuttling out of the room, letting the door fall shut behind him with a loud thud.

The minister sat across the table from Alessa and she watched him in confusion, plainly wondering why he was there.

"I'd like to apologize that you had to have a hearing at all. It was completely unjust," he said. She stared at him in bewildered surprise. "There are a lot of old laws that I have been trying to revise since coming to office. Unfortunately I have been unable to get to them all. I hope you don't think badly of the Ministry and myself after this, though I wouldn't blame you if you hated us."

"No sir," Alessa hurried to say. "I understand, you were just doing your job, there's no reason to apologize for that," Alessa said. The minister smiled.

"This will not happen again," he said, referring to the hearing. "I happen to know for a fact that Ms. Granger has been working on writing new laws protecting people with genetic predispositions that influences their magical prowess. She got that idea from somewhere I'm sure," he said, winking at her. "I'm actually here to inquire about the old books the empaths destroyed int he past."

"They had to," Alessa said, defending herself and her ancestors automatically. He held his hand up to stop her from continuing.

"I understand why they did it. I want to know what the books were called and who they were written by, if you know. I will make sure they are listed as 'Dark Magic Artifacts' so when the Aurors do future raids, they will know what to classify them as if any are found."

"Oh," Alessa said, settling back in her chair. She thought for a moment, then listed the titles she could recall. "I don't know them all, I've never even seen any of them."

"That's alright," he said, standing as the door opened again, letting in Hermione and Harry. "That's all for now. It was nice to meet you."

"You as well," Alessa said, shaking the hand he held out to her. He left as quickly as he had arrived, leaving Alessa's thoughts in a mess.

"Alessa, it's good to see you again," Harry said, hugging her, much to her surprise. "Ginny has missed you quite a bit."

"I've missed her too," Alessa said, her eyes watering slightly as it finally began to set in that she would be able to go home.

"Come on, I'll take you home," Harry said, leading Alessa out of the room.

"Thank you Hermione," Alessa said, turning and pulling the taller girl into a hug. She smiled as Alessa pulled away to follow Harry down the hall.

"George has been staying at my place the last couple months. So has Blaise actually, and Katie is around most days too. They will be glad to see you," Harry said, leading her into the lift.

"Is Blaise still in trouble?" Alessa asked, relaxing the further they got from the court room and the people who had been so set on taking her back to Azkaban. Her shoulders drooped in relief when the floor fell out of sight.

"No. I pulled some strings around here, telling them that Blaise was worried about someone breaking into the manor again so he contacted me for a place to hide and I brought him to my house. As I am an auror, no one really minded because that meant he was under constant supervision," Harry explained. Alessa nodded but didn't ask anything else as they had come to a stop in the Atrium which was crowded with people. They walked across the room, everyone else ignoring them for the most part, and came to the Floo fireplaces set into the walls along one side of the room.

"It's Number 12 Grimmuld Place," Harry said, quietly to her. "The house is still hidden," he explained when she looked at him in question. "I know you already knew, but if I didn't tell you now, you would have forgotten as soon as you tried to speak." Alessa nodded her acknowledgment, stepping into the fire and calling out her destination as she threw down her floo powder. She spun quickly, stumbling out into the living room, which was empty. Harry followed right after her so she moved out of his way.

"It's only five, everyone should still be at work," Harry explained, looking at his watch.

"Blaise doesn't work," Alessa said, snorting. "And I thought Ginny was taking time off," she said, then turned around. "That's right! How's the baby doing? Do you know if it's a boy or girl yet?" Harry chuckled.

"Ginny wants to wait until it's born to find out, but he or she is healthy," Harry said, smiling softly, then catching his thoughts again. "Blaise actually applied to work as an auror a month ago. He started training two weeks ago. Ron quit to work at the shop with George and Katie, so none of them will be back until after the shop closes. Ginny stays at the Burrow during the day, she doesn't want to be here alone in case something happens. And I think she thinks the house is a little creepy when no one else is here." Alessa nodded, looking around the place. It was nicely decorated, though George had told her about how it had been when the Order had first started using it.

"I do have to go back to work," Harry said apologetically. "If you want to clean up, you can go upstairs. Use any of Ginny's clothes, I don't think she will mind, she can't wear many of her old things since her stomach is getting bigger now."

"I bet she just loves that," Alessa said, grinning for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Oh yeah, definitely," Harry said straight faced. "I'll be back later, feel free to make yourself something to eat too, you look like you could use a good meal." He eyed the way her clothes hung from her much thinner body, frowning.

"Thanks Harry," she said, smiling as he turned to floo back to work.

Alessa took her time in the shower, enjoying the warm water and the clean feeling that had become so unfamiliar to her in the last few months. She washed her hair multiple times, trying to get the feeling of dirt out of it. It had become thin and frizzy in her time at the prison, from both lack of food and lack of soap. Finally she shut off the water and wrapped a towel around her and went to hunt for some clothes. She found some sweat pants and underwear in the dresser, and a t-shirt and sweater in the wardrobe, dressing quickly. She threw her old clothes into the trash and made her way down to the kitchen. She wasn't hungry, but she never really was these days, having grown used to not eating much. She made tea and a bowl of oatmeal, forcing herself to eat all of it, then she went to sit on a couch in the living room, taking a book from the shelf and settling down with her warm tea.

Ginny was the first to return home, screeching as she saw Alessa, then running toward her. Alessa stood to hug her, setting her now empty mug on the side table. Ginny squeezed her tightly, making Alessa feel as though her bones were going to break under the pressure.

"I missed you so much," Ginny cried, burying her face on Alessa's shoulder. Alessa hugged her back tightly and both of them had tears on their face when they pulled away. "You look awful," Ginny said, and Alessa laughed.

"You look big," Alessa retorted, resting her hands on Ginny's stomach. She wasn't actually that big, being only five and a half months along, but her belly was obviously poking out under her shirt.

"I take it back, I didn't miss you," Ginny said, laughing through the tears still streaming down her face. Then she pulled Alessa in for another hug.

"Stop crying, you are making me cry," Alessa said, using her sleeve to wipe Ginny's tears away.

"I can't help it, hormones and all" Ginny said, wiping off her face. "Is that my sweater?"

"Yeah, Harry said I could borrow it since you can't wear most of your old clothes anymore," Alessa said, frowning when she realized she probably should have waited to ask Ginny what she could borrow.

"Oh did he?" Ginny said, glaring at the fireplace as though Harry would walk through at any second. Alessa chuckled.

"So tell me what's been happening," Alessa said, sitting back down on the couch. She hoped that Ginny wouldn't realize that Alessa's legs had begun to shake, not used to holding her up for very long anymore. Ginny talked for maybe three minutes before Harry appeared, Blaise coming right after him. Alessa stood again, anticipating another hug. Ginny and Harry disappeared into the kitchen as Blaise hugged her tightly.

"My mother was killed, right after I came to stay here," Blaise said squeezing her, and Alessa's face dropped.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Was it the same person?" She asked, not having heard anything of her great aunts kidnapper and murderer.

"No one knows, but they think it was," Blaise said, tugging her down to the couch to sit beside him. "We think he tried to take grandma's power, but messed up the spells, so he tried on my mother. Obviously that didn't work," Blaise said, looking at her with tired eyes.

"I'm sorry," Alessa said again, her voice a whisper. "This is all my fault," she said. "They are looking for me. What if they get you next?"

"We think we know who it is," Blaise said, referring to the aurors. "We have been watching the shop and the manor for anyone who continually reappeared, and we have a few people pegged, but only one of them seems like the type to kidnap and kill people. He's a large guy with brown hair, he always wears a black muggle coat." Alessa shook her head. He had just described half the population of Diagon Alley. "I don't blame you for any of this," Blaise said seriously after a few moments of silence. "And you shouldn't either. It's not your fault that some people are crazy."

"Thank you Blaise," Alessa said, looking down at her lap. "You realize you are stuck with me now, right?" She said, trying to lift the mood in the room. "You are my only family now."

"Well I'm not going anywhere," he said, hugging her tightly around the shoulders for a few moments. "Come on, lets go have dinner, you look like you need a good meal."

"Everyone keeps saying that," Alessa whined, but got up and followed Blaise to the kitchen where Ginny was setting out plates as Harry stood in front of the stove stirring something.

"Alessa, your cheek bones look like they could stab somebody." Ginny said, catching the end of their conversation. "Didn't they feed you in prison?"

"Yeah, bread and soup. But you sort of lose your appetite in that place after a while," Alessa said, shuddering at the memory. She helped Ginny set out cups at each place and pitchers of tea and pumpkin juice.

"Oh here," Harry said, pulling something from his pocket. "They gave me this at the ministry." He held out her wand, and Alessa grasped it, sighing as a warmth filled her just like the first time she had touched her wand in Olivander's shop. She put it into her sleeve where she usually kept it, glad to have it back.

"Thank you," she said, smiling at them. Harry put a large bowl of rice on the table, followed by a bowl of mashed potatoes and a dish of ham slices and little loaves of bread. It smelled wonderful and Alessa thought she might actually be able to eat some of it, though her stomach was still turning with her earlier meal, not sure whether to reject it or not. The floo sounded again, and Alessa turned around hoping to see George, but it was Hermione who walked into the room.

"The paperwork required for trials is just awful," she said, kicking her shoes off near the door. "I'm glad I'm not a full time lawyer." She sat at the table next to Ginny, sighing. Alessa stood off to the side, not sure where to sit. Blaise had taken the seat across the table from Ginny, leaving the space on the end open for Harry.

"You can sit there Alessa," Ginny said, pointing to a chair at the other end of the table, and Alessa sat gratefully. She had moved around more in the last few hours than she had in the last two months combined, and she was beginning to get tired. Harry sat, glancing at a watch on his wrist.

"The others should be here in a bit, we can start now if you want," he said, looking at Ginny who nodded.

"I'm so hungry," Ginny said as they passed around the plates of food.

"You are always hungry," Blaise said as the others started putting food on their plates. Ginny glared at him.

"Well I'm eating for two you know," she said.

"How could we forget, you only mention it every five minutes," he said, rolling his eyes. Ginny stuck her tongue out at him, then took a forkful of rice up to her mouth.

Alessa accepted the bowl of potatoes from Hermione who reached over the empty chair between them, but she didn't put any on her plate, her appetite still not making itself known.

The floo sounded again a few minutes later and Ron walked into the room.

"Aw you started without us again?" He whined frowning at the table, then he walked around the table to sit next to Hermione. He had piled food onto his plate and began to eat before looking up and spotting Alessa.

"'Lessa," he said excitedly, speaking through a full mouth of food. Hermione smacked his arm and Ginny giggled.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Ronald," she said snippily. Alessa covered her smile with a hand. Ron chewed and swallowed quickly.

"I'm glad you are back," Ron said. "Now my brother can get off his ass and stop pouting."

"What am I pouting about now?" A voice came from the doorway, and Alessa whipped around. George had come to a stop in the doorway, crouching down to take his shoes off. Alessa pushed her chair back and stood as he straightened and caught sight of her, freezing in place. The next thing she knew, his arms were around her squeezing her tightly.

"George, I can't breath," she whispered and he loosened his grip, but only slightly.

"I missed you so much Alessa," he whispered to her, his face in her hair.

"I missed you too," Alessa whispered back, feeling herself finally relax completely. She felt content for the first time in two months.

"You look tired," he said as he pulled away from her, running his thumbs across the bags under her eyes.

"I am tired," she said, then remembered that there were other people win the room. They had started a conversation over the table, trying to give the two of them some privacy. Katie had taken her seat beside Blaise, and when she noticed Alessa looking at them, she glanced up and gave a small smile and wave before turning back to the conversation.

"Come on," George said, taking her hand and pulling her from the room. He led her upstairs to a bedroom that contained some of his clothes and things from their room at home. He pulled off his shirt and jeans and pulled on sweats all in a few seconds. Alessa tried to keep her eyes open, but she was exhausted from the days movements and emotional stress. She swayed a little on her feet, and George wrapped his arms around her to keep her standing. Alessa had the energy to pull off her borrowed sweater before climbing into the bed. She curled up against George as he tucked the blanket around her and pulled her close. Alessa closed her eyes, feeling completely warm for the first time in months.

She fell asleep to George's whispered words that everything was going to be alright now and that he loved her.

* * *

Alessa slept through most of the next day, waking in the late afternoon. The room was empty, but she saw two boxes sitting on the dresser that had not been there the day before, and poking out of the top of one of the boxes she could see a shirt she recognized as her own. She hunted through the boxes for jeans and a shirt to wear, then went to shower and dress for the day. It still hurt for Alessa to lift her arms for too long, so she didn't braid her hair when it was clean. The clothes she had chosen were baggy on her thin frame, but she was so glad to be back in her own clothes that she didn't mind.

She did her best to towel dry her hair before going down to the kitchen where she could hear Ginny and George talking. She paused in the doorway, watching the two siblings lean over the stove, arguing about something in low voices with their backs to her. Ginny turned around, spotted Alessa, and scowled back at George.

"I told you," Ginny said, huffing over to the table. "You woke her up with your stupid arguing. You should have just let me do it my way."

George rolled his eyes, and came over to wrap and arm around her waist and lead her to the table. Ginny huffed, taking a kettle of tea off the stove and pouring it into three cups.

"It's just tea Ginny," George muttered, sitting at the table, then looking over at Alessa. "Are you hungry?"

"A little," Alessa said, though she wasn't really. She leaned toward Gorge, not wanting to be even the slightest bit away from him now that she was back. Both of them frowned at her. "What?"

"What happened to your face?" Ginny asked, standing to come over to Alessa's seat and lift her hair aside. "And your arms are all bruised too."

"Oh," Alessa said. "Well when you are a prisoner they don't exactly treat you like a princess. It's fine, it doesn't hurt." In truth, Alessa had forgotten that her head had been hit when she was too slow to stand up the previous morning, and she didn't remember where the bruises on her arms came from, though she suspected it was from her half dragged trip through the halls of the prison.

"I have a lotion for bruises upstairs," Ginny said, then disappeared from the room. Cool hands moved her hair from her face gently, turning her face to the side.

"It's fine, George. I honestly can't even feel it," Alessa said, pulling her face out of his grip and tilting her head so her hair fell back over the purple marks.

"Is that why you left your hair down? So we wouldn't see it?" He asked, dropping his hands to his lap and frowning slightly.

"Not at all," Alessa said, shaking her head and picking up her tea. "I can't hold my arms behind my head for long enough to braid it, my shoulders are too sore."

George got up, walking behind her to pick up her hair. He brushed it back with his fingers and began to braid it tightly, the way she normally kept it.

"Where did you learn how to braid?" Alessa asked, closing her eyes and relaxing into his gentle touch.

"Well, Bill and Fleur's daughter, Dominique, has a lot of hair for a five month old, and Fleur insists that it stays braided so it doesn't get dirty, and I babysit her sometimes, so I had to learn how to braid so I could fix her hair when it comes out, Fleur is scary when things aren't done perfectly," he said, shuddering at the memory. He pulled the hair tie off her wrist and tied off the braid, then went to the pantry, returning with a banana and some cereal.

Alessa ate the banana and half a bowl of cereal before she couldn't eat any more. While she ate, Ginny smoothed her bruise cream onto Alessa's arms and the side of her face, and though Alessa hadn't noticed the hurt, the cream did make her feel better.

"Don't you need to be at the shop George?" Alessa asked when she and finished eating. "Isn't it the busy season?"

"I went in earlier," he said, dismissing her concern. "Ron and Katie are fine by themselves. Ron has actually been a huge help, I never would have guessed it from him. He's got some pretty good ideas for new products too. He still can't work a cell phone, but Katie knows how to get ahold of me if she needs help. She's been using your phone, actually."

Alessa nodded, glad that George would be staying nearby for the time being.

"Thanks for getting my clothes," Alessa said, gesturing at herself.

"Hm. They don't look like they fit very well," George said as the neck of her t-shirt slid to the side, revealing her protruding shoulder bone.

"Yeah, well," Alessa shrugged, tugging the shirt back into place. She didn't have any excuses to give so she just left it at that, figuring he would get the hint.

"We can go shopping!" Ginny said, jumping up in excitement.

"Absolutely not!" George said, at the same time Alessa groaned. "You have to stay here," he said, turning to Alessa. "At least until we catch whoever started all this. Did Blaise tell you they've been watching the shop?" Alessa nodded. "They're close to catching the guy, so you shouldn't be stuck here too long. But please don't leave the house."

"Okay," Alessa said, frowning at the serious, slightly panicked look on George's face. "I won't leave the house, I promise." George sighed in relief. "What else happened?"

"What do you mean?" George asked, looking up at her with a guarded expression.

"You wouldn't be this serious about it unless something else had happened," Alessa said, watching his face. She could just barely feel his emotions, not being around people for two months had severely decreased her ability to sense others, but she could feel an undertone of fear coming from him.

"Well…" George said, hesitating. "There's been some weird stuff happening at the shop. And at Zabini manor."

"Weird stuff?" Alessa asked suspiciously, frowning slightly.

"Someone threw bricks in all the flat windows," Ginny said, tiring of George's hesitation. "And the manor gets an owl at least twice a week carrying cursed envelopes and threat letters. There have also been people watching the square outside sometimes. We never see them, just their footprints when its muddy out. They can't see the house, but it's still creepy."

"What!" Alessa said, shocked. Ginny nodded.

"The elves at the manor save the threat letters and get rid of the curse ones. The aurors have traced those letters and the notes that appear at the shop back to the same person though, which is good, it means there's probably not a group of them. Harry thinks that the guy who did all this stuff didn't want to tell anyone else about it because he wanted the power for himself," Ginny said.

"So they know who he is?" Alessa asked.

"Well, they don't know his name, but they know what he looks like. He's been followed to a dozen places around Diagon Alley, but they don't know where he lives and he always manages to lose the tracker after a while," Ginny said, leaning back in her chair and sighing.

"Why haven't they caught him yet? If they know where he goes and what he looks like?" Alessa asked, confused.

"The aurors don't want to make a scene. The Ministry wants to keep this whole thing under wraps, and the guy is very good at staying in crowded areas," Ginny said. Alessa thought for a few moments.

"He's looking for me though, right?" Alessa asked slowly. Ginny nodded and George narrowed his eyes, catching on to her train of thought quickly.

"We aren't using you as bait," George said, reading the look on Alessa's face.

"Why not?" Alessa asked, scowling. "I could lure him into a building or a side street or something, and the aurors could ambush him and this whole thing could be done with."

"No way," George said immediately. "It's too dangerous."

"If you could guess what I was thinking then its been brought up by someone else already," Alessa said. "So I must not be the only on who wants this done."

"You can't even walk without swaying like you are about to fall over," George said, standing to pace around the table as he talked. "What if it goes wrong? What if he tries to attack you too early, and the aurors aren't close enough to help? There's too much that can go wrong." Ginny had disappeared while he talked, leaving them in the privacy of the kitchen.

"The aurors can set it up so I'll be safe," Alessa said. "That's what they do. I don't want to be stuck here with Harry and Ginny forever, they are going to need their own lives back, Ginny's having a baby in a few months! We can't just all live here."

George shook his head again, but thought more about what she had said. Finally, he sat down across from her at the table.

"The last two months have been horrible. I'm not losing you again," George said softly. Alessa opened her mouth to argue but George bowed his head and held his hands up to stop her. "Lets give the aurors another few months to figure this out. If they haven't found the guy by then, we will talk about this again. I agree that we can't all just keep living here, but for now, its safe, and you need to get your strength back." Alessa sighed, but didn't argue further, knowing he was just trying to protect her.

"Okay," she said, telling herself she would give them one month and if they hadn't found him, she would go to Blaise and Harry alone with her plan.

George smiled, reaching across the table to take her hands in his.

"I missed you," he said softly, a small smile on his face. Alessa's face softened as she looked at him.

"I missed you too," she said, tightening her grip on his hands. "It's good to be back." She smiled.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen: Another Capture

The month Alessa had allowed herself came and went without much notice of the time passing by. Ginny had a check up at the healers every two weeks, which was the only time Alessa was ever able to leave the house. The others figured that since they would only floo straight from the living room to St. Mungos, no one looking for Alessa in Diagon Alley would ever see her, and it was very unlikely that they would know to look for her at the hospital, let alone be able to try anything, since it was usually a crowded place.

The auror team assigned to finding Alessa's stalker had come close to catching him on two occasions in the last month. It seemed that the man didn't know Alessa had gone to Azkaban for two months, he seemed to think she was still living above the shop, just not leaving the flat. The man had attempted to break into the flat twice, leading to his near capture both times. The second break in had occurred only a week ago, and the man had not been spotted since, according to Harry's updates. It seemed as though he had realized no one was living in the flat after that. They suspected he was still watching the shop during the day, but from a new location the aurors hadn't found yet.

The household fell into a routine, Ginny and Alessa were home alone all day except for the other's days off, which all fell on separate days, so there was someone else in the house three times a week. Alessa and Ginny would spend the morning talking or reading and occasionally playing a game of wizards chess. In the evening they would prepare dinner, making enough for eight as Katie and Hermione would often join them. During dinner everyone would talk about their work or progress on the hunt for the unknown man, and afterwords everyone would either return to their own homes or go up to their borrowed rooms to go to bed.

Alessa welcomed the dull, slow pattern, as she still tired pretty easily, but she had gained back some of the weight she had lost in prison, and her bruises had faded. With regular washing, her hair had returned to it's normal thick and shiny mess, and her skin had gained some of it's color back. She spent a lot of time in the back yard with Ginny, either laying in the sun or helping pull up weeds in the flowerbeds Ginny kept. Ginny's stomach had expanded quickly in the last month and a half, she was nearly seven months pregnant, and she spent most of her time complaining about her swollen feet.

As the weather began to take on a slight chill, Alessa grew restless with being cooped up.

Finally, in the first week of October, Alessa realized that the three months she and George agreed to wait were nearly up. At dinner that night, Ginny mentioned that her due date was only three weeks away now, and Alessa caught George's eye over the table, giving him a look. He sighed and set down his silverware.

"Blaise, Harry, are you guys any closer to catching that guy then you were three months ago?" George asked when the conversation paused for a few moments. Blaise and Harry looked at each other, then Harry shook his head.

"Not really. He never leaves anything behind when he watches the shop, and we have only seen him once in the last month. He's been laying low ever since he broke into your flat six weeks ago, but he's still watching the shop on occasion. Why?" Harry asked, looking over at them.

"Well, Alessa had this idea a few months ago, and I promised I would bring it up if you didn't catch him within a few months," George said, frowning in distaste. He obviously didn't want to use her plan, but he knew it was unfair to ask her to just hide away forever.

"What's your idea Alessa?" Harry asked. Everyone at the table was paying full attention to the conversation now.

"She wants to be bait," George muttered. Alessa ignore him.

"I was thinking that, since it's me he is looking for, we could arranged some sort of ambush for him. If he were to see me walking down Diagon Alley one day, or working in the shop, he would most likely follow me, and I could lead him into a group of aurors or something," Alessa explained. "I don't know how all that works, so I figured I'd leave the details to you guys."

"That would be really dangerous for you," Blaise said, frowning. "What if it went wrong and he kidnapped you?"

"That's what I said before," George said, nodding in agreement.

"I think it could be a good idea," Harry began. "But the department would never allow a 'civilian' to be put in harms way like that."

The table was silent as everyone thought for a few moments. Alessa frowned. She really wanted the guy to be caught, not that she didn't love Ginny and all, but Ginny and Harry were starting a family together, they shouldn't have a house full of refugees to take care of as well.

"Why don't you just use Polyjuice Potion?" Hermione suggested. "Then there is no way Alessa would be in danger if the plan failed. One of the aurors could turn into her and lead the stalker into the trap."

"The ministry made it illegal to brew," Harry said, shaking his head.

"The aurors used it to move you from your house right before your 17th birthday, remember?" Hermione said, frowning. "I haven't heard of any change in laws about it since then."

"I guess I could ask the head of department about it. Maybe they will allow it if it's only used to capture a criminal," Harry said doubtfully. "I'll let you all know what he says later." Everyone nodded, then ate in silence for a few moments. Alessa had already finished and was watching George push his food around his plate, frowning in thought. She rested her hand on his for a moment, making him look up. She smiled reassuringly at him as if to say 'it will all be fine, stop worrying'. He smiled back for a moment, then returned to eating his food and Alessa pulled her hand away to stand and rinse her plate off in the sink. She told everyone goodnight and went upstairs to get ready for bed.

Alessa was sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard reading a book when George finally came upstairs nearly an hour later. Though it was chilly outside, it was always warm in the house since the hearth in the living room was enchanted to always burn so people could use the floo network whenever they needed to. Alessa had dressed in loose shorts and a tank top, anything thicker and she ended up overheated during the night.

She set her book on the side table as George closed the door behind him. He silently changed into thin pajama pants, leaving his shirt off before climbing into bed, sitting up next to Alessa. She frowned for a moment.

"Are you angry with me?" Alessa asked softly, putting her book on the side table. George looked at her for a long moment.

"I'm not angry," he said, then sighed. "I'm worried. I don't want you put in danger," he said, then held up a hand as Alessa opened her mouth. "I know, I know, chances of it going wrong are slim and it's probably the only way to catch the guy and all, I'm just scared to lose you again," he said in a rush.

"That's not what I was going to say," Alessa said when she was sure he was finished. "I was going to say that if you are really that set against it, I won't do it. I'll wait for some other idea to come up or something," she said, looking down at her lap. "I don't want you to worry. If you really don't want me to, I won't go out. I promise." She heard George release a deep breath. Then he waved his wand to put out the light and he slouched down into the mattress, pulling her down with him. He wrapped both arms around her shoulders, burying his face in her hair and wrapping his leg over both of hers to pull her as close to him as possible.

"Thank you," George said quietly, her hair muffling his voice slightly. "I know it's not fair of me to ask you to stay here all the time." Alessa ran her hand in slow strokes up and down his back, feeling the muscles underneath relax as she did so.

"All you ever have to do is ask me not to do something if you are that worried about it," Alessa said. "I would never purposely do something that would make you scared or worried."

"I don't want to be someone who tries to control you," George said softly into her hair. "You are your own person, it's not fair of me to ask you to do something or not to do something."

"I want you to though," Alessa said quietly, letting her eyes close as she snuggled into him.

"You want me to be controlling?" George asked, confusion plain in his voice. Alessa chuckled quietly.

"No, that's not what I meant," she said. "I want you to feel like you can ask me to do things, or not to do things, if you want to. I don't want to be someone who just completely goes against your wishes." She felt George nod against her hair, then he rolled onto his back, letting her lay on his chest with an arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"I promise not to say anything unless I think it's important," George said.

"I know you won't," Alessa said, her eyes still closed. "I trust you to not become one of those overbearing control freak types." Alessa felt his chuckle more than heard it.

"I'd be a very bad overbearing control freak," George said, then yawned. Alessa had spent nearly the entire day helping Ginny clean the house, and she was exhausted from it, half asleep as soon as George stopped talking. She could hear the steady thumping of his heart under her ear and it was helping lull her further into sleep.

"I love listening to your heartbeat," she mumbled.

"I love you," he said, and she smiled, hearing his heartbeat speed up slightly.

"I love you too," she said softly. George's hand began to run through her hair slowly, helping her drift off to sleep.

* * *

Alessa woke the next morning just in time to see George off to work. Ginny had weakly healer visits by this point since she was in the third trimester now, and Alessa was excited to leave the house again, even if it was just for a visit to the hospital. She ran up and down the stairs to get things that Ginny had forgotten at the last minute, like shoes and her purse, and finally, both girls stood in front of the fireplace, ready to go.

Alessa, as always, went first so that she could steady Ginny when the other girl came through. Usually after using the floo a few times one would get used to it, but Ginny's sense of balance was off, since she weighed quite a bit more than she was used to. The waiting room was nearly empty, since visiting time didn't start for another couple hours, so Ginny and Alessa signed in and chose seats near the door to wait.

"I was thinking about finding out the sex today," Ginny commented as she idly flipped through a magazine.

"I thought you wanted to wait," Alessa said, looking at the few other people in the room.

"I don't really care, I just wanted to make Harry wait since he was so excited to know," Ginny said, smirking. Alessa chuckled.

"Well why do you want to know now?" Alessa asked.

"I want to paint the nursery room, and I don't want it to be yellow," Ginny said, grimacing at the thought. "If I find out today, you have to promise not to tall Harry."

"Won't he know if we paint the nursery?" Alessa asked, grabbing a magazine and flipping through it without really looking at it.

"No, I made him promise to stay out of there until after the baby is born," Ginny said.

"Well, I won't tell if you don't want me to," Alessa said.

"Great. Then after this visit we can go get some paint," Ginny said, causing Alessa to frown.

"I can't Ginny," she said. "I promised George I wouldn't leave the house except for these visits."

"I know," Ginny said, sighing. "But we could go to a muggle store, I think there is a place just down the road from here." Alessa shook her head.

"I'm sorry Ginny, I can't," Alessa said.

"Fine, I'll just go by myself," Ginny snapped, turning away from Alessa.

"Ginny, you can't! What if something happens?" Alessa said. She knew Ginny was trying to guilt her into agreeing to go, so she changed tactics. "Would you really endanger your baby like that?" Ginny turned back to her, scowling.

"No, of course not," Ginny said, sighing in defeat. "Maybe I'll see if mom will go with me later."

"Good idea," Alessa said, relieved. "You can use my owl."

They went back to reading for a few moments before a healer came out to lead them back to a room. The healer ran the usual spells to ensure that the baby was healthy and everything was still alright. Afterwords, he asked if they had any other questions.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could find out the gender now," Ginny said, making the healer raise an eyebrow in question. This late in the pregnancy, he probably assumed they already knew, or didn't want to know.

"Of course, let me go get the potion for that," he said, then left the room.

"Where's your usual healer?" Alessa asked when the man left the room. "I don't remember her saying she was leaving or anything."

"I dunno," Ginny said, shrugging unconcernedly. They were silent for a few moments before the healer returned, a vial of a strange orange liquid in his hands.

"Alright, drink this, then we wait about two minutes and I can cast the charm that will reveal the gender," the healer said, handing the vial to Ginny. She swallowed it and they sat in silence for a few minutes as the healer scribbled on a pad of paper.

"Okay, lean back against the chair and try to hold still, if you fidget too much it can cause the spell to misidentify the gender," the healer said, waiting till Ginny was leaning back, then waving his wand over her stomach while chanting a line of latin words. A silver mist came out of his wand, settling over Ginny's stomach for a moment, then sinking in.

"Okay, now we let the spell work for a moment and when the mist rises we will know the gender," the healer explained. Everyone stared at Ginny's stomach for a moment, then Alessa gasped as a light blue cloud rose in the air for a moment, then dissipated.

"It seems as though you are expecting a boy," the healer said, smiling as Ginny stood and hugged Alessa in excitement. "Well, you will be glad to hear that the baby is in full health and he is nearly ready to be born. Congratulations you two." Alessa and Ginny looked at each other in confusion as the healer continued.

"Please remember not to apparate until after the baby is born as splinching yourself at this stage could be catastrophic for you, and for the baby," he said, then handed them a printed out sheet of paper with a small, gently moving blob on it. They both leaned in to look at it for a moment, then Alessa grinned.

"It's a picture of the baby, Ginny," she said, taking the picture and flipping it right side up, then pointing to a lighter part. "Muggles do it this way too. There's the head I think, oh, and there are his feet, see?"

"You are correct, that is his head," the healer said, leaning over to look where Alessa had pointed. "Well, everything is looking great. We will expect you back next week for another check up. Have you read a copy of our brochure on what to expect at the end of pregnancy?"

"No," Ginny said, at the same time Alessa said, "I have."

"Okay, well, you can pick up another copy of it at the desk out front if you need to, it's best to prepare for the birth a few weeks in advance in case the baby comes earlier than expected," the healer said, opening the door to the room. "Well, that baby will be very lucky with two such wonderful mothers as yourselves. Have a good rest of the day."

Ginny and Alessa stared after him with gaping mouths for a moment, then looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"I can't believe-"

"Oh my god-"

"Why would he think-"

"He must have seen us here together before and just assumed," Alessa said, getting control of her laughter before Ginny did.

"That was great," Ginny said, still laughing. "You should have seen the look on your face!"

"Yours was just as stupid," Alessa said, walking back out of the waiting room with Ginny to the fireplaces.

They used the floo to get home, still laughing, and Ginny went off to write to her mother about buying paint.

That afternoon, Mrs. Weasley showed up with four huge cans of light blue paint and multiple paint brushes, beaming at them. She was excited for a grandson, since she already had a granddaughter to dote on.

The three of them spent most of the afternoon covering the furniture with tarps and painting the walls and ceiling of the room next to Harry and Ginny's bedroom. Well, Alessa and Mrs. Weasley did most of the painting, Ginny spent her time by the window, claiming the smell of paint gave her a headache. Ginny disappeared in the early evening to start making dinner, and Mrs. Weasley left for her own home shortly after that. Alessa looked around the room which was nearly finished drying and sighed with a sudden unexplainable longing. She shook her head, leaving the room and closing the door behind her to change into clothes that were not covered with paint splatters.

At dinner that night Ginny spent a lot of time grinning, finally causing Harry to ask what she was so happy about.

"Oh nothing," Ginny said, still smiling. "I had another healer visit today, and the healer wasn't my normal one." She barely got through the sentence before laughing.

"So?" Harry asked, as confused as everyone else at the table was.

"So," Alessa said, trying not to laugh herself. "He assumed that me and Ginny were, you know, together. He said the child was very lucky to have two such caring mothers."

Everyone at the table burst into laughter.

"Oh, he gave me this too," Ginny said, smiling softly as she reached into her pocket and drew out the picture. She passed it over to Harry who looked at it for a few moments, then smiled widely.

"What is it?" Asked Blaise, who had leaned over to look too.

"It's an ultrasound," Harry said. "Though I suppose it's called something else in the wizarding world. It's a picture of the baby."

"It's hard to tell what it is," Blaise said, holding the picture no. "It just looks like a bunch of black smoke." Alessa stood to walk over behind him.

"Look, these white lines would be the bottom of Ginny's ribs," she pointed at the top of the picture to give him perspective. "This is the baby's head," she traced a finger over part of the picture, then followed the lines down. "This would be it's spine. Here are its feet and legs, it's arms are wrapped around its legs right here."

"Oooh," Blaise said softly, seeing the formed picture now that she had pointed it out.

"In a few weeks it will turn upside down, that's how they know it's ready to be born." Alessa said, illustrating what would happen on the picture.

"Why do you know all of that?" Blaise asked, passing the picture to Katie who was next to him.

"It's interesting," Alessa shrugged. "I've read quite a bit about it."

"If you can read ultrasounds, can you tell what gender it is from that picture?" Harry asked, leaning forward slightly.

"I can," Alessa said, her eyes flashing with mischief. "But I'm not going to tell you." Harry groaned, making the others laugh.

"So, that's it's head?" Katie asked, pointing when the picture was passed to her.

"Yeah, and it's curled up into a ball," Alessa said, pointing at the picture again, then doing the same as Ron struggled to see the baby. Hermione had no trouble identifying the parts of the ultrasound, and she looked up at Alessa smirking when she was able to identify that it was a boy. Alessa sat back down, smiling as Harry and Ron began to argue over whether it looked like a girl or a boy. She caught George's eye and saw something there she couldn't identify, but it was gone as soon as she saw it and he turned to join into the argument over the baby's gender.

Within the next four days, Ginny and Alessa had finished painting the baby's room and unwrapped the furniture. Alessa had pushed most of it back into its place, and all the room needed now were things like drapes and sheets for the crib.

Alessa put a small duffle bag by the fireplace, and when Ginny asked what it was, Alessa explained about having spare clothes and things for Ginny pre packed in case they had to rush to the hospital. Ginny had been getting progressively more nervous the closer she got to the due date. She spent a lot of time trying to pace, getting tired, and then sitting on the couch in the living room tapping her fingers against her stomach or pretending to read something.

"Have you read this before?" Alessa said, handing a thin book to Ginny who looked at it and shook her head. "Read it. It's about what to expect during childbirth and directly after. I think it will help you calm down a bit."

"I am calm," Ginny muttered, but she took the book and opened it anyway. Alessa shook her head and went back to her book for a few minutes. The fireplace bust into green flames, causing both girls to jump in surprise. It was before noon, and everybody else should have been at work till late afternoon. Alessa was on her feet with her wand pointing at the fireplace before Harry stepped out onto the carpet, looking around the room. Alessa put her wand away, a little embarrassed for being so jumpy.

"Is Blaise here?" He asked, not wasting time on greeting them. He had a worried look on his face that put Alessa on edge, and his hand was gripped tightly around his wand as his eyes scanned over the room.

"Why would he be here? He left with you this morning," Alessa said, frowning.

"He told me he needed to stop by the manor for something and that he would be back in a few minutes, but he's been gone over an hour and we didn't find him at his place. I thought he might have come back here," Harry said, his face dropping. Alessa shook her head. "I need to go back," Harry said. "Send me a patronus if he shows up here or if you hear anything. And don't leave the house under any circumstances." The girls nodded. "Don't answer the door for anyone either, just in case. I'm changing the Floo access so no one can come in without me. Ginny, use the old security questions next time anyone comes in. We will make new ones this evening if nothing changes by then." Ginny nodded, and Harry hugged her for a moment, then disappeared back into the fire place.

"What security questions?" Alessa asked, standing.

"It was something everyone used during the war so we could be sure that no one was being impersonated," Ginny explained, her voice strained with anxiety. She walked carefully toward the kitchen, wand drawn. "Come here, I'll need your help with this."

Alessa followed her into the room, frowning in thought as she drew her own wand back out.

"After the war, when Harry decided to live here, he added some extra protection. See above the windows and the back door, there is that dark metal opening? Pull the handle in the middle," Ginny said, pointing. Alessa located the small, nearly hidden handle and pulled it down. A sliding flap of thin bronze colored metal slid down over the door and sealed itself to the sides of the frame then hardened so that when Alessa pushed on it, it didn't move at all.

"What is this?" Alessa asked, pulling down the ones above the windows too.

"It's a charmed metal that's been spelled to deflect curses and other objects. It's really strong. Harry got the idea from something he found in the castle once or something, I don't know. Let's do all the windows upstairs too." Both girls kept their wands out as they went through the house together. Neither of them wanted to be alone in the house now, even though it was protected by the Fidelius charm. Harry's worry had frightened them both. Alessa could sense that no one else was in the house, but she couldn't blame Ginny for not wanting to be alone. Finally they covered all the windows, including the ones on the third floor that were only used for storage most of the time, and settled back in the living room to wait for the others.

"Is there one of those things for the front door?" Alessa asked after a few moments, looking at the thick wooden door.

"Yeah, do you think we should do that one too?" Ginny asked, watching the door.

"Yeah. Harry said no one would be using it right? So we may as well," Alessa said. Ginny nodded so Alessa went to the door, standing on her toes to reach the top of the frame to pull down the thin sheets of metal.

They spent the next few hours sitting on the couch pretending to read and jumping at every small noise. Ginny actually let out a small shriek when the fireplace burst into green flames again. Alessa had her wand pointed at the fireplace in seconds. Ginny stood half shielded behind her, holding her wand out too, her other arm wrapped around her stomach protectively. Harry appeared in the fireplace followed by George, Ron, and Katie, the last of whom was in silent tears. Alessa started to lower her wand, but Ginny held hers steady.

"What did you see the first time you looked into the mirror of Erised?" Ginny asked, pointing her wand at Harry.

"My parents and extended family," he responded, and Ginny pointed at the others. "They are okay, Ginny," Harry said, and Ginny lowered her wand, letting the others move forward.

"What's going on? Did you find him?" Alessa asked, looking from face to face. Harry shook his head sorrowfully.

"We took a team to the manor," Harry said, sitting on the couch with Ginny next to him. "We think the guy discovered that the manor was empty and decided to camp there, we found some clothes and other things in the main entry way that didn't look like anything that belonged there. And all the elves were killed." Harry shook his head. "We think he was as surprised to see Blaise as Blaise was to see him there. We found Blaise's wand, but no one was in the building or the grounds when we got there."

"You have to find them," Alessa said, pacing in front of the fireplace. "He's going to kill Blaise." Katie let out a small sob, and Alessa sat down next to her. "I'm sorry Katie. I didn't mean to upset you."

"Why is he doing this? He can't possibly believe in all that stuff we looked up," Katie said, and Alessa leaned back for a moment, confused.

"What?" She asked, looking around the room at the others.

"All that stuff we looked up when you were in jail," Katie said, sniffing. "He can't actually believe that can he? If it were true, you and Blaise would still be in jail."

Alessa stood and backed away from them before speaking again. She looked at George, who had been sitting next to Ron.

"Didn't… don't any of you know?" Alessa asked, causing them to look up.

"I only told Hermione, Alessa," George said, sighing.

"Oh," Alessa said. She had honestly thought that everyone else just didn't care that she was an empath, she had assumed they all knew since she had seen all of them searching for stuff for Hermione to use in the trial. "Katie," she said softly. "You guys, all that stuff you read in those books, all the ancient books from the manor at least," she hesitated, swallowing. "All that stuff is true."

The room sat in silence for a few moments.

"This is a really bad time for a joke, Alessa," Ron said, recovering first.

"It's not a joke," George said, standing and walking over to Alessa to stand slightly in front of her as if expecting an attack. "All that stuff about empaths is true."

"Is Blaise…" Katie started, then trailed off.

"Blaise isn't an empath," Alessa said. "Just me. His grandmother was too. And my parents."

She looked at Ginny and Harry, both of which were silent.

"I'm sorry, Ginny," Alessa said, seeing the shocked look on her face. "I thought you all knew, and just didn't care. I wasn't trying to keep secrets from all of you."

"I knew," Harry said softly. "Blaise told me. He wanted me to know just how important it was to catch this guy quickly."

"But Hermione and George said it was all just accusations," Katie said. "When we were reading those books, they said that the ministry was wrong and we just had to find information to prove it."

"I think they were just protecting me," Alessa said, looking at George who nodded. He still stood half in front of her. "It's really dangerous for people to know, and I never told any of you earlier because I had to protect my great aunt too, but now that I'm the only one, I don't mind telling you guys, I trust you to not run around telling people."

"Why is it dangerous?" Ron asked. "And why is this guy so determined to kill your whole family?"

"You remember the stories about empaths, Ron," George said. "Everyone thinks they are evil and go around controlling people. Of course other people are going to be angry if they know all the empaths didn't die out." Ron nodded.

"Also," Alessa continued. "If this guy knows the right spells, he can kill me and absorb the power to control emotions, just like the stories. Empaths were never evil, the stories are all about other people who stole their power."

Ron and Katie nodded in understanding, though Katie still looked a little skeptical, and Alessa turned back to Ginny.

"Ginny?" Alessa asked, worriedly. Ginny looked up.

"Well, I'm kind of mad you didn't tell us sooner, but I'm not going to hate you or anything, so stop looking so anxious," Ginny said, a small smile growing on her face. Alessa sighed in relief.

"I need to go get Hermione," Harry said, standing. "She won't be able to get through if I'm not with her. And I'll go tell your parents whats going on," he said to Ginny. "I don't want your mother to kill me when she can't get through the Floo."

He disappeared through the floo, leaving the room in silence. Alessa put her hand on George's arm to let him know he didn't need to be so overprotective anymore. He pulled her onto the empty couch, keeping her hand held tightly in his.

"So," Ginny said after a slightly awkward silence. "Can you like, control people's minds?"

"Ginny!" George snapped, glaring at her. Alessa chuckled, knowing that Ginny had a tendency of twisting uncomfortable situations into jokes. She appreciated the effort.

"No, it's not like that," she explained, her voice serious. "I can't control anything. I wouldn't want to either. I can feel your emotions so why would I try to make you do something I know you wouldn't want to do? I would feel the hurt."

"You can feel our emotions?" Ron asked incredulously. Alessa chuckled.

"Yeah, like right now, I can tell you are hungry," she said, ignoring the slightly horrified look on Katie's face.

"He's always hungry, that doesn't count," Ginny said, laughing.

"What if we don't want you to feel our emotions? Some things are meant to be private," Katie said in a slightly harsh voice.

"I can't help it," Alessa shrugged. "I usually block most of them out, I don't want to know exactly how every single person is feeling."

"So that's why I can never guilt you into doing things!" Ginny said excitedly. "Because you know what I'm trying to do!"

"Well, that, and you are extremely obvious. Most people are, I usually don't even need to sense emotions, I can just tell from your mannerisms," Alessa said, laughing at the face Ginny made. "Like, when you try to guilt me into things, you always make your eyes wide and try to look sad. And every time George is worried he tugs on the bottom of his hair, and every time Hermione knows some interesting fact that the rest of us don't know, the corner of her mouth twitches."

"And you just notice all that?" Ginny asked, eyes widening.

"Everyone has little 'tells'," Alessa said, shrugging. "I'm just observant." She glanced over at Katie, who still looked upset. Alessa couldn't blame her. Being raised in a pureblood family, Katie had probably heard a lot of stories about empaths and other 'mythical beings' being evil. It was a lot for her to take in. "I'm sorry, Katie. I can't help what I am."

"I know," Katie said, sighing. "It's just hard to wrap my mind around." Then she looked up quickly. "Can you read minds too? Or just emotions?"

"I can't read minds, but I just sort of subconsciously know 'why' an emotion appears sometimes. If I spend a lot of time around the same person it gets stronger," Alessa said, then hesitated but decided it would be better to put everything out at once. "And I can enter your mind, if I wanted to. I can't control or change anything, just observe. And you would almost always know if I was there."

The room was silent again, and George gripped her hand tightly. She looked up at him, but he was watching Ron and Katie who were sitting across from them.

"That is awesome!" Ron said, grinning. "So you can just appear in people's minds and like, look at their memories and things?"

"No," Alessa said. "I can only see what you show me when I'm there. I can't just dig though everything in your head." Katie let out a long breath.

"So, in theory, you could go into coma patients minds? And you could talk to them?" Katie said, eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"Yes!" Alessa said, smiling at the change of subject. "I've always wanted to try that, but the lead healer at St. Mungos said it would be a waste of time to try and of course, I couldn't tell him about why I thought I could do it, but I really think I have an idea of how to do that."

Katie nodded, and fell silent. Alessa set her free hand on top of George's hand entwined with hers and ran her thumb along the back of his hand in a soothing gesture.

The fireplace burst into light again, making Ron and George jump up with their wands pointed at the fireplace.

"My patronus is an otter," Hermione said crossly. "Now put your wands down, we have news."

Harry and Hermione sat and spread some papers out on the table.

"This will be the newspaper printed tomorrow," Hermione said, pointing at some white papers with small black print on them. "It's an article about how empaths don't actually exist."

"What?" Alessa asked, confused. "Why?"

"I wrote an article stating that empaths, witches and wizards who were hunted in the past, are actually just normal people who learned meditation and other muggle mind tricks. It's mixed in here with information about animagi, and metamorphmagus's" Hermione stated with a self satisfied smirk. "I wrote that these are people with a genetic predisposition to excel in certain areas. There is also a new law that got passed this morning, stating that any witch or wizard found guilty of tracking down or killing people with any of those abilities will be given that same sentence as a death eater."

"Hermione," Alessa whispered, reading over the article. "This is brilliant!"

"Thank you," Hermione grinned.

"I don't understand how this changes anything," Ron said, frowning.

"Well," Alessa said slowly. "If I'm understanding the point of all this correctly, Hermione just wrote that it is completely natural to excel in a subject you like and that anyone killing these people because of their abilities are complete idiots and will be sentenced to life in Azkaban, am I right?" She asksed, looking at Hermione, who nodded.

"But what about Blaise?" Katie asked, frowning. "He's still not found."

"I have a theory about that too, which is why I decided to have this published tomorrow morning," Hermione said. "Until now, there have been no actual laws preventing the murder of empaths. My theory is that this guy, whoever he is, obviously doesn't know the right spells to kill an empath and take their powers, and for all he knows, that can't actually be accomplished. I think he is keeping Blaise alive, trying to get him to talk about the correct spells. If the kidnapper reads this article tomorrow, he will know for a fact that stealing an empaths abilities isn't any more possible than stealing someone else's magic."

"But what if he kills Blaise anyway?" Ginny asked, frowning. Everyone looked at her. "I mean, Blaise probably would know who the kidnapper is by now, he wouldn't just let Blaise go to tell on him, not since he's already killed two people. He would be thrown into Azkaban if he were caught now."

Everyone was silent, realizing the probability of what Ginny just said. Then Alessa looked up suddenly.

"I can't believe I didn't think of this before. Give me a few minutes, I can figure out where Blaise is," she said, then closed her eyes to breath slowly, ignoring the questions from the others as she relaxed back into the couch.

She found herself in the bright hall of her mind, and practically ran past the doors, searching for the one that she would have built subconsciously to hold all the 'tags' she had formed for people she spent a lot of time around. Finally she found it, throwing the door open quickly. The room was filled with dozens of different colored threads, all stretching in different directions. She sifted through them, searching for the one that felt like Blaise. She found it stretching through the far wall, a light green thread that vibrated every few seconds with a new bit of emotion. She followed it out of the room, drifting throughout the wall.

She could see the house she had just left briefly before flying down the street quickly, making her surrounding's blur slightly. She followed it for what seemed like miles upon miles, before she began to slow. She looked around her, recognizing a part of wizarding London near where she used to live. She followed the thread into a rundown apartment building and up to the fifth floor, through a wooden door, and into a dingy apartment that contained no furniture and had a thick layer of dust covering everything in sight.

Blaise was in a corner of the room, slumped against the wall. His hands and feet were tied together and his head dropped onto his chest, but he was breathing. Alessa looked around the rest of the apartment, finding it empty, then entered Blaise's mind.

"Blaise," she called out, appearing in the mess of his mind. She felt him jump, and move his head to look around.

"Alessa?" He croaked, his voice cracking from lack of water.

"Close your eyes and breath slowly," she instructed. "Try to clear your mind."

It took a few minutes for him to appear, and Alessa walked over to him. He rubbed his wrists, untied in his mind, and looked around.

"Is this the inside of my mind?" He asked. "It's a bit messy."

Alessa laughed, then threw her arms around his shoulders.

"We've been so worried," Alessa said, letting him go. "Where's the guy who kidnapped you? How did he kidnap you?"

"He was waiting at the manor. He surprised me, I didn't have time to draw my wand before he stunned me. He had a port key that brought us here, so I don't even know where I am. How did you find me?" He asked.

"It's a long story, I'll explain later. I know where we are, we are gong to get you out of here, but we need to know where the guy is. Do you know who he is?" Alessa asked, making sure to listen for other noises in the flat.

"I don't know who he is, he looked a little familiar but I don't remember where I've seen him before. I think he's been using a disguise when he goes out. He looks similar to the man we've been following, but not exactly the same. I'm not sure where he is, he left about an hour ago. He was trying to get me to tell him what spells to use to 'steal my power over emotions'. I didn't tell him anything, not that I know them, and he got really mad, kicked me around a bit, and left," Blaise said.

"We need to get you out of here by tomorrow morning. Hermione wrote an article, and we think he's going to kill you if he reads it, but it'll make sure things like this don't ever happen again," Alessa said, ears alert as she heard faint footsteps, but they turned into a different flat.

"Well, at least I'll die for a good cause then," Blaise said, voice sarcastic, though Alessa could pick up the worried tone underneath it.

"Shut up, you aren't going to die," Alessa said. "I'm going to wait until he comes back, I want to see if I recognize him from somewhere."

"Feel free to hang out up here," Blaise said, trying to lighten the mood. "Just don't go poking into anything."

"I couldn't even if I wanted to," Alessa said. "Unless it's your emotions. I could try to mess with those."

"I'd rather you not," Blaise said, looking around them again.

"I'm not going to stay in here anyway, I need to be out there to see," Alessa said. "You won't be able to hear me once I leave, but I will hear you. And I'll come tell you before I leave."

"Okay," Blaise said, then frowned. "How do I get out of here?"

"Just open your eyes," she said.

"Yeah, you said that last time, and then you just slapped me," Blaise said, glaring at her.

"Sorry about that, I was in a hurry last time. Just, open your physical eyes," she said. He raised an eyebrow for a moment, then disappeared. She pulled away from his mind, hovering next to him and watching the door.

It was nearly half an hour before the door to the flat cracked open. The sky outside had fallen completely dark by then, so Alessa had to wait until he got closer to see him. He lit the tip of his wand, stumbling across the floor. Alessa gasped, but no one heard it. She pushed back into Blaise's mind for a few second.

"I'm leaving, we will be back in a little while to get you out," she said, then followed the light green thread back to her own body.

She opened her eyes to a mostly empty room, only Hermione was still sitting on her couch, reading over some of the papers she had brought with her. She looked up when she heard Alessa shift.

"I know where he is," Alessa said, rubbing her legs where they had fallen asleep from her sitting still for so long. "Where's everyone else?"

"In the kitchen, I'll get them," Hermione said, disappearing.

When everyone was sitting again, Alessa started to speak.

"He's being kept in some old apartment building pretty close to where I used to live. He's okay," she said, looking at Katie who gave her a small smile in return. "But the guy who kidnapped him…" Alessa trailed off, frowning. "He looks so familiar. I know I've seen him before, but I don't know his name. And I've only seen him in the muggle world before a few times. He was at a restaurant I went to with my aunt several months ago. I accidentally ran into him when we were leaving the building. He must have overheard us talking and put things together. And I thought he might have seen me disapparate from an alley later that day too. And actually," Alessa said, remembering. "I have seen him in Diagon Alley, I've just remembered. He was at the apothecary the day after new years. And he's been in the joke shop a few times, I think Katie was there last time."

"But you don't know who he is? You don't have any connection to him at all?" Harry asked, frowning.

"No," Alessa shook her head. "We need to get Blaise. The guy was gone when I got there so I waited to see if I knew him, but now that he's back he might try something. He looked like he was drunk."

"Good, drunk people are more likely to make mistakes," Harry said, standing. "I'll get the rest of the team that's been working on this. If he's drunk, he probably won't be leaving again for the night. Alessa," he said, turning to her. "I'll need you to lead us there. This thing you can do where you leave your body will really help. We need to be sure he is still there when we get there, and how many other people are there."

Alessa looked at George, who frowned in thought.

"I don't know," she said slowly, turning back to Harry who had been watching the exchange.

"You can use my invisibility cloak," Harry said, but he looked at George this time, understanding that Alessa wouldn't go if he didn't agree. George looked back at Harry, then at Alessa.

"Okay," he said softly to her, sitting back in defeat.

"Alright," Alessa said to Harry. "And I'll stay out of the way, I don't need to be too close to him to know if he's there."

"Great," Harry said, running upstairs to get the cloak. "So how does this mind thing work? George said you could talk to him in his mind?"

"Yes," Alessa nodded, holding the cloak in her arms. "And you don't have to be meditating to hear me, I can talk to you without anyone else knowing."

"Okay, you are going to stay under the cloak in a different building, someone will be there in case something happens. You can do your mind magic and look into the flat, then find me and tell me what the situation is. You won't be near him and he won't know where you are," he said.

"Okay," Alessa said nodding. She squeezed George's hand to reassure him, then she stood, accepting the cloak from Harry.

"Everyone else, stay here. I'll take her to the ministry to get the rest of the guys. We will come back here when it's done. Don't open the doors, don't leave the building," Harry said, sounding like a completely different person. They all nodded, then went to the kitchen to talk as Harry walked toward the fire place. George tugged Alessa into a hug.

"Be careful," he whispered, squeezing her close.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine," she said, hugging him back with one arm, holding the cloak in the other.

"I know," George said, letting her go. They disappeared into the green flames, coming to a stop on the ornate floors of the ministry.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen: Finally Home Again

Harry wasted no time getting his team together, even though most of them had gone home for the night already. All of them were eager to finish the hunt, so none of them complained about working overtime. By ten o'clock Alessa, Harry, and the four others on the team were in an area of muggle London close to the wizarding community. Harry led them into an alleyway between a muggle cafe and a factory building with no windows on the first story, then motioned them together.

"Okay, Alessa and Olson, you two are to wait in this cafe, Alessa under the invisibility cloak just in case things go badly," Harry said in a low voice, gesturing to the building next to them "Guys, Alessa has the ability to make her consciousness leave her body, so she will be meditating under the cloak, or whatever she does. I don't want any questions about it, we've already worked that part out. The flat is on the fifth story so we will be stationed on the stairs just below that level, and wait for my signal, then go in and stun anyone there. Okay?" Harry said quietly, the others nodded, not bothered by the request of no questions. "Put the cloak on Alessa. Olson, you just walk in and order a coffee or something and sit at a booth, don't leave until we get you unless there's an emergency."

One of the men nodded, and Alessa slipped the cloak on, securing it over her head. She looked down at her feet which had vanished.

"Go ahead. Alessa, we will be waiting on the stairs between the fourth floor and the fifth," Harry said, then turned to lead the others to the apartment building a few blocks down the street.

Alessa followed the man called Olson into the cafe, pausing as he looked around for a moment and subtly pointed to the first empty booth by the door before going to the counter to order a coffee. Alessa slid into the booth, waiting until the man slid in beside her before she closed her eyes and left her body, following the tag she had on Harry. The four of them were climbing the stairs of the apartment building silently, wands held out in front of them. Alessa went to the flat she had found before, flowing through the wooden door. Blaise was still in the corner, tied up. He looked to be sleeping. She heard arguing voices from the closed bedroom door and she frowned. They had all been so sure there was only one man behind all of this. If he had friends in on it, who knew how many others there were that weren't here. Alessa poked her head throughout the bedroom door and was glad no one could hear her as she swore loudly.

Standing in front of her was the man who had been rude to her after her trial, the one who had promised she would end up back in Azkaban because an empath had killed his grandfather or something, and had said he would be watching her. She didn't know his name.

"I didn't pay you to kidnap that boy, I want the girl, she's the one who needs to die," the big man was saying angrily.

"I don't know where she is," the other man said angrily. "They are hiding her."

"I want her found. If you don't find her within the week there will be consequences," the man said, punching the wall beside the other man's head. Alessa fled to the hallway where Harry was hiding, finding his mind almost instantly.

"There's another guy, he works at the ministry but I don't know his name. I think he's coming this way," Alessa said hurriedly to Harry. She felt him nod, and she left this mind, watching him motion to the others behind him and start walking up the stairs. Alessa returned to the flat, floating into the living room just as the bedroom door burst open and the large man came out to face Blaise. He had just barely opened his mouth to speak when the front door burst open and stunning spells flew across the room. All three of the men were hit and slumped to the floor. Harry told the others to check the rest of the flat, and Alessa entered his mind again.

"You might want to get out of here quickly," she said. "If he had someone else in on it there might be others." Then she felt silly. "Sorry, that's your job, I know." She heard him chuckle, then she left his body, returning to her own.

She took a moment to look around the cafe, then leaned toward the man next to her.

"They stunned everyone, I think it's done," Alessa whispered. The man nodded but didn't move. He turned his head slightly toward her.

"We'll wait for them to send someone, just in case," he said out of the corner of his mouth.

"Okay," Alessa said, sitting back in the booth, not removing the cloak yet, just in case there were, in fact, others nearby who were in on the kidnappings.

Ten minutes later they saw one of Harry's men outside the window. He gestured for them to follow so they both stood, walking out of the building, Alessa still under the cloak. They met up with the others in the lobby of the kidnappers apartment building and used a portkey to travel straight to the cells. They woke Blaise up after everyone was locked away, and Alessa took off the cloak to help untie his hands and feet.

"Did they catch them both?" Blaise asked, looking around. Alessa nodded.

"I'll take you both back home for now," Harry said, approaching them. "We are going to question them to see if there are others. That man from the ministry, his name is Stanley, that's a surprise. He's been working here for decades," Harry said, then shook his head. "Never mind, lets go."

Harry took them back to the house, leaving them to explain what had happened during the raid.

After nearly fifteen minutes of talking, everyone was yawning.

"Let's go to bed for now," Alessa said at last, standing. "We will hear more about it tomorrow."

"What about Harry?" Ginny asked, glancing at the fireplace.

"I'll wait up for him," Hermione said. "I have a lot of paperwork to do."

The others nodded and filed up the stairs to their respective rooms. Katie hesitated in the living room. As she didn't usually staying the night, she was unsure of where to sleep until Blaise gestured for her to follow him. Alessa smirked at him as he passed and he raised an eyebrow at her, as though daring her to comment. She shook her head, following George into their room and shutting the door.

* * *

"Where's Harry?" Alessa asked, entering the kitchen the next morning. Blaise, Ginny, and Hermione were the only ones up yet, but she had expected Harry to be there as well.

"He's at the Ministry," Ginny said, frowning. Alessa poured herself a cup of tea before joining them at the table.

"Still?" Alessa asked in surprise.

"He didn't come home before I finished my work last night," Hermione said, yawning then taking a large gulp of coffee.

"They must have found something out during the questioning," Alessa said, then sipped her tea trying to think of what else might have happened.

"I don't know if I'm supposed to go into work today," Blaise said after a few moments.

"I'd say no, since you limped all the way down the stairs," Ginny said. "Are you sure you don't want to go to St. Mungos?"

"I'm sure," Blaise said, rolling his eyes. "It's not that bad."

"You were hurt?" Alessa asked, looking him over quickly.

"It didn't hurt till this morning, and it's fine, my ankle is just a little sore," Blaise said, shrugging off the attention.

"What about the others? Are you going to work Hermione?" Alessa asked.

"It's my day off," Hermione said, shaking her head. "And I think the others can stand not going in for the day, at least until we hear something from Harry or the ministry."

As she finished speaking, the floo roared from the living room. Hermione was on her feet and in the doorway first, though she had been sitting the farthest away. Blaise was standing, leaning against the table for support, and Alessa had drawn her wand and stood as well when Hermione came back into the room trailing Harry behind her. He looked exhausted.

Ginny poured him some tea as the rest of them sat around the table again.

"We questioned the two we caught last night," Harry said. "And it turns out there's another person they were working with, someone else who works at the ministry. Harriet Scott," Harry said. "We went to her house last night but no one was there, and she didn't come into work this morning. Somehow she must have found out we got the other two and she ran."

Blaise swore and Alessa looked down. She had never heard of the other person either. Why were all these people she didn't even know coming after her when they didn't even know the right spells to use to get what they wanted?

"I'm guessing she hasn't read the paper yet though, she disappeared before it was sent out, and if she's in hiding she probably doesn't have access to the news," Harry said, rubbing his hands over his face tiredly.

"What does that mean?" Blaise asked, frowning as he sat back in his chair.

"Oh yeah, I guess you weren't here last night when the rest of us read the article. Here," Hermione said, pushing the morning paper in front of him. It had been turned to the fourth page and folded in half, showing a short article on the bottom of the page. Blaise started reading silently.

"So, I'm guessing we should all stay in today?" Ginny asked Harry as he yawned again.

"Well, I don't think there's much of a chance of her going after anyone besides Blaise or Alessa, and she probably isn't dumb enough to try anything in Diagon Alley when everyone is out looking for her, so the shop should be safe enough. Blaise, you don't need to go into work today, and Hermione can do whatever, no one's interested in kidnapping her. I'm going to take a nap then go back in later to see if we can track this woman down," Harry said, yawning. "Alessa, you should stay in until we get this figured out."

Alessa nodded, resisting a sigh at the prospect of being locked up again.

"This is really cleverly worded," Blaise said, setting the paper down a few moments later.

"Thanks," Hermione said, smirking over her cup of coffee.

"You wrote this? Your names not on it," Blaise said, glancing back at the top of the article.

"I used a fake name," she said. "I didn't want anyone giving it overdue attention, it shouldn't even interest most people. I think it will be better received if most people don't notice it for a while, and it'll give those who do notice the time to get used to it before others try to make a big deal of it."

"Nice," Blaise said, nodding, then he looked over at Harry, who was leaning over in his seat and laughed.

"Harry, go to bed," Ginny said. "We will be fine if you go to sleep for a few hours. I promise we won't open the door or leave the house."

Harry stood, yawning, and left the room dragging his feet.

"Well," Blaise said, setting his cup down. "What should we do all day?"

"Oh well, usually Alessa and I clean or cook, I'm sure there are some things to dust around here somewhere," Ginny said, watching Blaise's face fall with a horrified expression. Alessa snickered.

George and Ron entered the room at the same time, both rubbing their eyes and looking so much alike that Alessa burst into laughter and Hermione chuckled too.

"What?" George asked, yawning and sitting beside Alessa.

"Nothing," Alessa said, sipping her tea. He glared at her for a moment, then closed his eyes again, leaning on her shoulder and pretending to snore loudly. She laughed and pushed him upright.

"Was Harry just getting in?" Ron asked through a yawn.

"Yeah," Ginny said frowning, then went on to explain what was going on at the ministry. George frowned as he listened.

"So are we closing the shop today?" Ron asked, looking at George.

"Harry said it should be safe for you to open today, since you aren't the ones being hunted," Blaise said, making George frown at his wording.

"It's fine, there's no way anyone could get in here, and we won't leave," Alessa said. "Plus, Hermione and Blaise will be here."

"Actually, I need to go to my parents place this afternoon," Hermione said, then saw George's face. "But Blaise will still be here in case anything happens."

"Well, it is october," George started. "We probably don't need three people at the shop."

"But it's saturday," Ron said. "And it's an ordering day. Katie and I don't know how to do the ordering."

"You're right," George said sighing.

"It'll be fine," Alessa said, running her hand over his back in a soothing manner.

"I know," he said, drinking the tea Ginny had placed in front of him.

Katie was the last to wake, and after hearing the news, she frowned too, but agreed to go to work. The three of them left half an hour later, Hermione following them out an hour after that. Poor Harry looked more and more exhausted every time they woke him up to let them through the floo. Alessa settled into the living room with a book while Ginny and Blaise started up a game of chess. Ginny had inherited none of her brother's prowess with the game and she grew angered at it very quickly, ending the game by chucking one of her smashed pieces at Blaise's laughing face. He caught it, still laughing, and Ginny got up and stomped away to the kitchen.

"I usually let her win," Alessa said, not looking up from the book as she turned a page. "She's easier to deal with that way."

"I heard that!" Ginny yelled from the kitchen.

"You were meant to," Alessa called back, chuckling at Ginny's angry huff.

Harry came down the stairs fifteen minutes later to see the end of the rematch between Blaise and Ginny, which was going much the same way as the first game. He kissed Ginny goodbye and disappeared into the flames quickly, not wanting to hang around when Ginny got angry seeing as she was very pregnant and very over emotional.

The afternoon passed slowly, Alessa finally taking pity on Blaise and playing a game with him. They were pretty evenly matched at chess, so the game drew out into the late afternoon.

"You should play Ron sometime," Alessa commented as he won the game. "He beats me four times out of five."

"Really?" Blaise said, eyebrows raised. "I never would have guessed that from him."

Ginny, who had gone to the kitchen to make tea, let out a groan.

"Alessa," she called, and Alessa stood to go see what she needed. Ginny was doubled over, standing by the table to use a chair as support.

"Ginny?" Alessa asked, rushing over to her. "Are you okay?"

"I think I just had a contraction," Ginny said, straightening up, only to bend over again and groan in pain. "Or I have really bad stomach cramps."

"Okay, umm, come over here," Alessa said, leading her to the living room again. "We can go to St. Mungos and write the others from there." Ginny nodded, straightening up again.

"What's going on?" Blaise asked, seeing Alessa supporting Ginny, since she was still half bent over with her arms around her large stomach.

"The baby's coming. Maybe," Alessa said. "I think we have a while though, her water hasn't broken and the contractions didn't look too painful." Ginny nodded, agreeing with Alessa's assumptions. "We are going to the hospital."

"You can't," Blaise said, eyes widening.

"I think they will understand if we leave the house for this, Blasie," Alessa said, rolling her eyes.

"No, I mean, you literally can't leave," Blaise said. "Harry changed the wards on the floo remember? You can't get in without him."

"Well we can just stay at the hospital until he gets there," Alessa said, still supporting Ginny, though the girl had straightened up a little after her last contraction.

"You can't get out without him either," Blaise said. "The floo doesn't just work one way, it's always both."

"Oh my god, are you kidding me?" Ginny said, growling, clutching her stomach as her knees shook slightly.

"I'll try it first," Blaise said quickly, spotting Ginny's angry expression. "I might be wrong."

He walked to the fireplace, grabbing a handful of floo powder and shouted, "St. Mungo's" loudly. The fireplace burst into green flames, but Blaise stayed where he was and the flames died quickly.

"Shit," Alessa said under her breath, starting to worry. "What do we do?"

"I'll send him a pa-" Ginny started, but cut off to let out a shout and bend over to grab her stomach again.

"Let's get her sitting down," Alessa said, and Blaise came over to help lead her to the couch.

"I think my water just broke," Ginny panted as they helped her sit.

"Alessa, you took all those healer exams didn't you? Can't you do something?" Blaise said, running a hand through his hair in panic.

"Calm down," Alessa said, thinking. "I didn't take exams about childbirth, idiot," Alessa said, pacing, then making up her mind. "Okay, Blaise, send a patronus to Harry letting him know whats going on, then help me get Ginny upstairs to a bedroom. Ginny, are you okay to walk up the stairs?"

"I think so," Ginny said as Blaise went into the kitchen. Alessa helped her stand and led her to the bottom of the stairs.

"Let me know if you feel another contraction coming. I don't think your water broke yet," Alessa said, eyeing Ginny's still dry pants. They made it halfway up the stairs before Blaise came back to help. Between the two of them, they got Ginny into her own bedroom quickly.

"Wait," Ginny said, panting slightly as she leaned against her dresser. "In the closet in the hall there are a bunch of old blankets, can you get those first? I like this quilt, I don't want to ruin it."

Alessa rolled her eyes in exasperation, but went to get the blankets. She stripped the good ones off the bed and laid out the old ones.

"Blaise, can you help her scoot into the middle of the bed please?" Alessa asked. Blaise helped Ginny slide back onto the bed.

"Okay, now leave," Alessa said when Ginny was where she needed to be.

"What? Why?" Blaise asked, frowning at her tone.

"Unless you fancy watching a baby being born," Alessa said, smirking as his face paled. "Go get some towels and a pitcher of cool water."

"Okay," he said, then left the room in a hurry.

"Okay Ginny, I'm sorry, but we are going to have to take your pants off," Alessa said. Ginny laughed, then groaned.

"I don't care," Ginny said finally, and Alessa helped her out of her pants, making sure to drape a blanket over her before Blaise returned with towels and water.

"Alessa!" Ginny yelled as Blaise was setting the water down. Alessa let Ginny squeeze her hand for a few moments. "Okay, this time I think my water broke, for real."

"Okay, Blaise, there's a book in my room thats got a red cover. It's on the top shelf closest to the door, I need that please," Alessa said, and waited until he left to lift the blanket from Ginny's legs again.

"Yep, your water broke," Alessa said, using a towel to clean up some the mess so it didn't soak through the blankets. She covered Ginny back up as Blasie came back in the room.

"Oh, I have an idea," Alessa said, leaving the room as Ginny screamed again. "Blaise, give her your hand," she said, then walked to the baby's nursery where the tarps they used for painting were still piled in one corner. Alessa grabbed a clean one and went back to Ginny's room. She tossed up the sides of the blanked directly under Ginny, then told Blaise to lift her for a second, slipping the tarp under Ginny and the blanket.

"Bloody hell woman, I think you broke my hand," Blasie said, shaking it out after the next contraction.

"Sorry," Ginny said through clenched teeth. "Let's see how much you scream while shoving a watermelon out of your vagina."

"Blaise, stop complaining and give her your hand again. I need to read this," Alessa said, sitting on the side of the bed opposite Blasie.

"Hell of a time to read, Alessa," Blaise muttered, letting Ginny grip his hand again.

"It's a book about childbirth. I've read it before, but I didn't really pay attention to what I need now," Alessa muttered, flipping to a chapter near the middle of the book and skimming the pages quickly, muttering to herself as she went. "Blaise, can you time how long it takes between the next contractions, please," Alessa said. He nodded, looking at his watch.

"About ten minutes," Blaise said a while later. Alessa nodded, not taking her eyes off the pages. Finally, she stood, closing the book with a snap.

"Okay, when the contractions are less than half a minute apart, you start pushing. In the mean time, breath deep, slow breaths," Alessa said, getting a towel wet and bringing it over to Ginny to wipe the sweat from her face.

"I'd like to see you breathe slowly when you are slowly being ripped apart from the inside," Ginny muttered, making Alessa chuckle. She grabbed Ginny's other hand and sat with her through the next few contractions.

* * *

"That one was only four minutes apart," Blaise said, nearly two hours later. "Does this normally take so long?"

"The book said it's common for contractions to last anywhere from one hour to more than twenty four," Alessa said. "Why hasn't Harry responded yet?"

"Twenty four hours of this shit are you fucking kidding me right now?" Ginny screeched, then screamed as another contraction hit. Alessa tugged her hand free, giving Ginny her other one to break for a while.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what spells would be useful in this situation, and I'm not trying an unknown spell from a book if I don't know how it will work," Alessa said, dabbing a newly wetted towel across Ginny's face in an attempt to keep her cool.

"It's okay, I understand," Ginny sighed, then grimaced. "Can you get my hair out of my face please?"

Alessa let go of her hand and lifted her head, twisting her matted hair away from her face and to the side, then she used another pillow to prop Ginny's head and upper back up again. As the next contraction hit Ginny, Blaise groaned at the crushing of his hand.

"You are really strong for someone so little," Blaise said when Ginny relaxed back into her pillows. As she laughed, a bright silver stag burst through the window, making them all jump. It opened its mouth and Harry's voice poured out.

"We caught her, I'm on my way, and I'm lowering the wards on the floo," he said.

"I'll let the rest of your family know," Alessa said, standing. "I don't think we should move you at this point, but once Harry get's here, Blaise can go get a healer from St. Mungos."

She walked to the hallway to send patronuses to George and Mrs. Weasley. She assumed Mrs. Weasley would contact Ginny's other brothers if they wanted to know.

Nearly fifteen minutes later, she heard the floo burst into life downstairs.

"We're up here," she shouted, but it wasn't needed as another contraction hit that moment, making Ginny scream out in pain. Harry burst into the room at a run.

"Ginny," he rushed around to the side of the bed Alessa had occupied. "What can I do? Do you need anything?"

"Sit down and shut up," Alessa snapped, a headache rapidly growing. "Blaise, open that window, then go to St. Mungos and find a healer." He nodded, standing and shaking out his hand. With the window open, the room was much lighter. "Harry, give Ginny your hand," Alessa said, as Ginny started breathing heavily again. Harry did as she said, and let out a yelp.

"Ginny, breath with me," Alessa said, taking a loud slow breath, letting Ginny copy her. Ginny slowly exhaled and inhaled again then screamed as another contraction hit. Alessa glanced at the clock on the wall. "That was only a minute and a half apart Ginny, you're almost there, I think," Alessa said.

"Thank fucking god," Ginny grit out between her clenched teeth.

"Ginny!" A voice behind them said in a scandalized voice. "Watch your language."

"Sorry mum," Ginny said, clenching her jaw tighter.

"Thank god you're here Mrs. Weasley," Alessa said, letting out a breath in relief. Mrs. Weasley bustled in to sit in the spot Blaise had just left and she smoothed down Ginny's hair gently.

"Harry, go downstairs and wait with the others," Alessa said.

"What? I want to be here when the baby comes!" He said, looking up with wide eyes.

"Girls only," Mrs. Weasley said, agreeing with Alessa. "You won't want to see what happens next."

Harry hesitated, the left the room as Ginny broke into another scream.

"How far apart are the contractions?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"A little more less than a minute. Her water broke almost two hours ago," Alessa said, using the wet towel to wipe Ginny's forehead again. Mrs. Weasley nodded in approval.

"Where did you learn about childbirth Alessa," Mrs. Weasley asked, gripping Ginny's hand as she screamed again.

"From this book mostly," Alessa said when the room quieted again, pointing to the book on the dresser. Mrs. Weasley laughed.

"Well you've been doing very well as far as I can tell," she said, and Alessa smiled, relaxing a little. "Has there been any bleeding yet?"

"Not yet," Alessa said, double checking to make sure. They had propped Ginny's legs up with pillows half an hour ago, making a little tent covering her private area so none of the boys who came in unannounced would see anything she didn't want them to see.

"Good," Mrs. Weasley said as another contraction hit and Ginny tensed.

"That was just over half a minute from the last one," Alessa said, her heart beating a little faster in expectation.

"She can start pushing soon then," a girl said, walking in the doorway in time to hear Alessa's last sentence. "I am healer Gardner," she said, nodding to the two women. She then proceeded to ask Ginny a bunch of questions, Alessa answering some of them when Ginny was too preoccupied with the contractions to do so. The nurse handled the situation briskly, making Alessa feel much calmer. Finally the nurse settled on the end of the bed and told Ginny to push after the next contraction. Alessa sat next to Ginny, talking her through the slow breathing between the pushes and contractions.

"I can see the head," the nurse said after a few minutes. "Give me a big push this time." Ginny screamed as she pushed. "Alright, one more big push and you should be done."

Five minutes later, a small cry broke through the room as the nurse cut the umbilical cord and handed the newborn to Ginny, before going back to clean up the afterbirth mess. Alessa used a damp towel to clean some of the mess off the baby as the other two cooed over him.

"What's his name?" Alessa asked as the nurse finished cleaning the mess and bundled the towels together.

"Harry want's to name him James, after his dad," Ginny said smiling as a couple tears leaked from her eyes.

"Thank you so much for your help," Alessa said to the nurse while the other two continued wiping off the baby, and wrapped him in a clean blanket.

"It's no problem, though house visits are a little unusual these days," she said, smiling. "We will send you an invoice later," she said. "Can I use your sink?"

"Please," Alessa said, pointing her down the hall to the bathroom.

"Do you want to hold him, Alessa," Ginny asked, lifting the baby a couple inches.

"I would love to, but I think Harry should meet him first," Alessa chuckled, making Ginny grin. Alessa was almost overwhelmed with the complete happiness she could feel radiating from Ginny at the moment. She tugged the dirty blanket and the tarp out from under Ginny before finding a clean blanket to tuck in around her, then she went downstairs to the living room where the others waited. Silence fell as she came down the stairs to look into the anxious faces of six ginger haired men and one dark haired one.

"It's a boy," she said, making the room burst into shouts of joy. "Harry, go see your baby." She didn't mention the tears of joy on his face as he ran up the stairs past her.

"Is Ginny okay?" "Is the baby healthy?" "A boy? That's great!" "What's his name?"

Alessa ignored the room at large, wading through the Weasley's to the back of the room where the girls and Blaise sat.

"What are they naming him, do you know?" Katie asked, grinning at her as she approached.

"Ginny said Harry wants to call him James, but I'm not sure," Alessa said, then turned slightly as she felt George sit down next to her.

The room remained loud for the next half hour as, one or two at a time, the others went up to meet the baby. Finally, George and Alessa went up to the room.

"Now you can hold him," Ginny said, grinning at Alessa who accepted the baby this time, looking down into his tiny wrinkled face. He was asleep, his tiny hands curled against his body inside the blanket. Alessa stroked his cheek softly, smiling. "She refused to hold him before."

"I just thought that, as the dad, Harry should hold him first," Alessa said, laughing softly. "Did you decide on a name?"

"James Sirius," Harry said proudly.

"That's quite a mouthful," Alessa said, smiling down at the baby again. He opened his eyes at that moment and gazed up at her for a brief second, then his face scrunched up and he let out a tiny cry. "I think he's hungry," Alessa said, handing him back to Ginny who proceeded to feed him, making George grimace. Alessa laughed as he turned around to face the wall.

"He has your eyes Ginny," Alessa said, smiling. "And it looks like he will have your hair, Harry." Harry chuckled, using a gentle hand to smooth down the dark fuzz growing on top of the baby's head.

"Here, George," Ginny said, covering herself up again as James stopped eating a few minutes later. "Your turn to hold him."

George turned around and softly took hold of the baby, smiling down at him.

"We want you to be the godmother, Alessa," Ginny said, her eyes on George and the baby as she spoke.

"Really?" Alessa asked quietly, her eyes filling with tears.

"Of course," Ginny said, finally turning her gaze to the older girl. "You've helped out with so much the last few months. The last year, really. And you are one of my best friends."

"I'd love to be the god mother," Alessa said softly, smiling down at the baby in George's arms as he gurgled happily, tiny finger opening and closing slowly.

"Sorry George, you are already an uncle, you don't get another title," Ginny said, sticking her tongue out at him. He laughed quietly, not wanting to jostle the baby.

"That's okay, I wouldn't want to have any obligation to reprimand your offspring. Do you know how much trouble this little one is going to get into? I plan to help him, not discipline him," George said, laughing. Ginny and Alessa laughed too, and Harry grinned as George passed the baby to Alessa again. She used the crook of her elbow to make sure that his head was well supported, and rocked him back and forth gently for a few moments.

"Can you tell Blaise and Katie that they can come up if they want to," Ginny said a few minutes later.

"Sure," Alessa said, gingerly handing the baby back to Ginny then turning to walk down the hall with George.

Alessa sent Blaise and Katie up and settled into the crowded living room.

"Tell Ginny and Harry that we will stop by tomorrow," Mrs, Weasley said, walking up to Alessa and hugging her tightly. "Thank you for helping through all this."

"No problem," Alessa said awkwardly, patting the woman's back. "I didn't really do much."

"Alright, you lot," Mrs. Weasley said, turning and causing the room to fall into silence. "If you aren't living here, go home and come back tomorrow. Ginny needs sleep and the baby needs quiet."

As the group of them floo'd away, the room grew steadily emptier and Alessa let out a sigh. The healer had left some time ago, leaving a paper with her contact information on the table if they had questions later. She had deemed the baby healthy, and said Ginny should stay away from heavy lifting or work of any kind for the next couple weeks. Ron and Hermione both went to their respective homes, followed by Katie a few minutes later.

"So…" Blaise said, his hands in his pockets. "They asked me to be godfather," he said, his voice sounding a bit surprised.

"It's probably as repayment for Ginny breaking both of your hands," Alessa said, grinning. Blaise chuckled, subconsciously flexing his fingers into a fist as though to hide them from any more torture.

"I was just surprised, I didn't think anyone really liked me that much, I am from Slytherin after all," Blaise said.

"Did I ever tell you that I was almost sorted into Slytherin?" Harry said, walking down the stairs in time to catch the end of Blaise's words. Blaise's mouth dropped open in surprise, as did George's.

"Seriously?" Blaise asked, disbelieving.

"I can see that," Alessa said smiling. "You already like their colors better."

"Yeah," Harry chuckled. "The sorting hat wanted to put me in Slytherin. It said I'd do well there, but I asked to be in Gryffindor, so it put me there. We wouldn't hate you just because of what house you are in. It's what you do that matters," Harry said, walking through to the kitchen, leaving Blaise speechless behind him.

"I'm hungry," George said, following Harry. "I skipped lunch today."

"You would be hungry even if you didn't skip meals," Alessa said, following him into the kitchen and rolling her eyes.

"Alessa, Ginny wanted you to go upstairs. I'll start fixing something for dinner," Harry said, walking around the kitchen. Alessa left the room, walking up the stairs quickly.

"Hey," she said, entering the room to find Ginny dozing lightly, the baby laying against her chest.

"Hey," Ginny croaked. Alessa got her some water, holding James as she sat up to drink it.

"Harry said you needed me up here?" Alessa asked, smiling as James wrapped his hand around one of her fingers.

"I was hoping you could help me into the bath," Ginny said. "I feel disgusting, and my legs feel like jelly."

"Of course I can," Alessa said, holding James in one arm and using the other arm to help Ginny swing her legs over the side of the bed. "Let me take him downstairs. I'll be right back."

"There are newborns diapers in that box right inside the nursery door, and some outfits, could you dress him before you take him down? I don't trust the lads to do it properly," Ginny said, drinking the rest of her water. Alessa nodded, leaving the room to locate the needed items. She unwrapped James from the blanket, setting him on top of it on the floor of the nursery so she could put the diaper and the tiny clothes onto him, murmuring to him as she worked. She wrapped him back in the blanket before bringing him downstairs to where the boys were standing around the kitchen talking. She went up to Blaise, grabbing his arm and holding it out properly before setting the baby in his arms gently.

"Uh, Alessa, I don't know how to hold babies," he said, a frightened look on his face as he held his arms stiff and James began to fuss.

"I know, that's why I gave him to you, it's time you learn," Alessa said, smirking at him as she took a step back.

"Make sure his head is supported," George said, repositioning Blaise's arm. "Relax your arms a little, and don't drop him. "

"I'm not stupid," Blaise said, laughing. "How do you know about babies?"

"I have a million cousins younger than I am, and a few younger siblings too," George said, watching Blaise relax slightly when the baby didn't immediately start crying.

"Think you guys can manage him for half an hour or so?" Alessa asked. "I'm going to help Ginny get cleaned up."

They all nodded and Alessa left the room, going back upstairs.

Forty minutes later they were all sitting around the table, eating chicken and rice that Harry had made.

"Should you even be up, Ginny?" Harry asked, watching her worriedly.

"I'm not an invalid," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "I'm fine, just no heavy lifting for a while."

"You know, since it's the first night, you have to be the one who gets up when he cries, Harry. That's the rule," Alessa said, watching Harry try to eat and hold a sleeping James at the same time.

"That's okay. Since the room you are using is right next to the nursery I'm sure you will be hearing him every time I get up," Harry said, laughing.

"Speaking of that," George said. "You said you caught the woman?"

"We did. She was hiding out at her sister's place. We questioned her with truth serum and we are sure there wasn't anyone else involved in the kidnapping or the murders. All three of them have been sentenced to Azkaban for their crimes, as per the law passed, unfortunately for them, right before they were caught," Harry said.

"So we can go home?" George asked, looking at Alessa.

"You can go home, everything will go back to normal now," Harry said nodding.

"What about you Blaise? Are you going to live in the manor alone now?" Alessa asked.

"I dunno. I never spent a lot of time there growing up anyway so I don't see why it would be any different. I'll need to find some new house elves though," he said, frowning. "The upkeep the manor requires is ridiculous."

"Try Hogwarts," Alessa suggested. "The castle always employs house elves that don't have other work. I'm sure a few of them would rather work for a family than the castle, even if the family is just you." Blaise nodded and the conversation turned to work the next day.

* * *

Alessa and George decided to wait a week to move home, so that Alessa could help Ginny get back on her feet and George could clean the flat that hadn't been lived in for about five months. Finally, Alessa brought over the last box of clothes they and taken to Harry and Ginny's and set it on the kitchen table in their flat and sat down exhaustedly.

"You realize we've been dating for over a year now?" Alessa said as George put her books back onto the shelves in the living room

"Time flies," he said, smiling. Then he turned to her. "What are you going to do now? I know you don't want to keep working in the shop forever. Will you go to St. Mungos?"

Alessa looked down, feeling the letter in her pocket weighing her down as though it were a brick.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that, actually. I received a letter a few days ago," Alessa said, frowning slightly.

"A letter?" George asked, coming over to sit across the table from her, pushing the box back so he could see her as she spoke.

"I don't know what I'm going to do about it, I haven't decided. I wanted to talk to you first," Alessa said hurriedly as she passed the letter to him over the table. George read the letter carefully, then reread it, keeping a straight face, but Alessa could tell he wasn't jumping for joy at the idea.

"Hogwarts," he said, then whistled, leaning back in his chair. "A professor, that's a good opportunity for you, Alessa." His mouth twitched down at the corners as he said it.

"I know, and it's teaching personal development and meditation, which I like to do," she said, watching his face. "But I'd be gone for nine months of the year." She frowned, feeling her eyes water slightly at the thought, and her heart sinking.

"When do you have to give your answer?" George asked, looking at her with a sad smile.

"By Christmas. I wouldn't start until next term," Alessa said.

"You've already written back?" George asked, frowning.

"Only to ask for the details of the class and when I needed to let her know. I told her I would think about it," Alessa said.

"Well, then you have two months to decide," George said, folding the letter and handing it back to her. "Let's go out for lunch, we can talk about that later."

Later, to George, was exactly one month and three and a half weeks. Every time Alessa brought it up, he would change the subject or distract her somehow. Finally, she got fed up and tracked him down in the basement four days before Christmas. To be fair, she had spent a lot of the last two months with Ginny, helping watch James while Harry was at work, giving Ginny a chance to sleep or shower without having to freak out every two seconds that the baby had somehow injured himself. James was a mostly calm baby, only crying when he was hungry or needed a change of diaper, never crying just for attention, since he got so much of it anyway. He slept a lot of the time, and spent most of the day in his crib just gurgling and watching the mobile above him turn slowly. So Alessa hadn't had much time to talk to George, but she was done with his purposeful avoidance of the subject. After making sure he wasn't in the middle of brewing a potion, she knocked on the door frame to the potion room, making him look up from the book he had been reading.

"We need to talk," she said, expecting him to make another excuse. Instead he just sighed, gesturing to the chair next to him. She closed the door behind her and sat. "I need to give Headmistress McGonagall an answer by next week."

"What did you decide to tell her?" George asked, looking down at his book again.

"I didn't decide anything," Alessa said, putting her hand on top his. "I wanted to talk to you first. This is a great opportunity, but," she paused, sighing. "There will be other jobs. I don't want to be away from you for nine months at a time. Two months in Azkaban was too long," she said. He still wasn't looking at her, so she lifted her hand to his cheek and he leaned his head into her touch, half closing his eyes. Finally he looked at her.

"I don't want to hold you back," he said, reaching a hand up to her face and pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't want to be the reason you don't take a job you really want." He gulped. "I think you should write back and tell her yes."

Alessa looked into his eyes, sadly. "Are you sure?"

"Anyone can see how much you want this job, and you are good with kids," he said, then used his thumb to wipe away a tear that fell down her cheek. "I can visit you every weekend, and you will come home for breaks. It won't be so bad," he said quietly, but his eyes were watering now too.

"Please don't cry," Alessa said, watching him. "It'll make me cry."

"I'm not crying," George said pulling back. "Men don't cry," he joked, puffing his chest out importantly. Alessa chuckled, but her eyes spilled over anyway, running down her cheeks. "Come here," George said, pulling her onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her waist. She hugged him around the shoulders, burying her face in his neck. He stroked her back shushing her as she cried silently onto his shirt for a few minutes.

"Oh, sorry," a voice came from the doorway as Ron flung it open.

"Go away, Ron," George said, but his heart wasn't in it.

"Sorry," Ron said again, turning and disappearing back up the stairs.

George sighed, and Alessa slid off his lap to stand, wiping her face on her sleeves.

"It won't be so bad," George said softly. "It'll be fine." It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than convince Alessa.

"Yeah, it'll be fine," Alessa repeated, following him from the room. That evening she wrote back, accepting the teaching position.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen: Epiloge

"Lets go out for lunch today," George said on the last day of summer vacations. Alessa had packed all her clothes and books into the large trunk she had used during her school years, and had left it waiting by the front door of the flat.

"Where do you want to go?" Alessa asked, following him through the door, down to the shop. She had been downhearted all morning, knowing she was leaving in the morning to catch the train.

"That muggle italian place," he said.

"It's called Bella's," Alessa said, finally cracking a smile. "We eat there every other week, you should know that by now."

"I forget easily," George said with a shrug, taking her hand and leading her from the shop that was crowded with students and younger kids. George's first ever employee, Verity, had returned from living in France for three years, and had immediately accepted a job in the shop again, meaning that George hardly ever had anything to do. He spent most of his time with Alessa in their flat, watching movies or doing paperwork as she read up on things she would need to know for her upcoming teaching year. She had spent the last five months writing out a curriculum for her classes for the headmistresses approval. She had sent it by owl two weeks ago, getting it back only yesterday with a stamp of approval and suggestions for added subjects.

Alessa was excited as much as she was sad. She was finally going to do something she liked and was good at that mattered to her, but she would be away from George and the others.

She sighed and followed George to the apparition point, then down the street to the restaurant. The meal passed in a comfortable silence and as George left some muggle money on the table and stood, he held out his hand to her.

"I have a surprise for you," George said, pulling her to her feet.

"Where are we going?" Alessa asked, a smile spreading across her face in spite of her growing gloom.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, silly," he said, grinning as he led her into an alley and apparated them away. They appeared with a crack in an empty room with a large open window in the wall in front of them and three more large windows placed evenly around the room, letting in a lot of natural light and illuminating the dark wood floors. Alessa frowned in confusion, not recognizing their surroundings at all.

"Where are we?" She asked, looking around. They were on the second floor of a building that looked out over the tops of a couple other buildings and a few trees.

"Guess," he said, still holding her hand tightly. She could feel his growing excitement, though she didn't understand it.

"I have no idea," she said, looking around the room again.

"Let's go downstairs," George said, tugging her to stairs set in the floor behind them. She followed him down to another set of empty rooms, these ones looking out to a small fenced in yard with another building visible on the other side of the grass, the fence connecting with the sides of that building making it into one large lot.

"I still have no idea," she said, shaking her head.

George led her out of the door, into the yard, and across to the back of the other building. Alessa looked back at the building they had just left, seeing that it was a good sized house, surrounded with tall trees. The yard also had trees blocking the view to anything past it. George took out a key, unlocking the door to the other building and tugging her along. She looked around at the shelves, all filled with various objects.

"George," she said slowly, looking around. "Is this a shop? Like, your shop?"

"Yep," he grinned. "Go look out the front window," he said, pointing to a window that had blinds drawn over it.

"George," she said again, staring out a space in the blinds. "Are we in Hogsmead?"

"Yep," George said again, walking up behind her. She turned around to face him, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"You're opening a shop here?" She asked, figuring out all the secrecy. He nodded, keeping his face straight. "And you will be running it?" He nodded again, trying not to smile.

She threw her arms around his neck and burst into tears. He chuckled, hugging her back tightly.

"I can't believe this," she mumbled into his neck, then drew back, wiping her face. "And that house out back?"

"Ours," George said, smiling. "If you would like to live with me, of course." She smacked his arm.

"Of course I would, you idiot," she said, hugging him again. He couldn't keep the grin off his face this time. "I will have to inform the headmistress of the change in my living arrangements of course," she said, adopting a mock formal voice and standing back with her hands on her hips.

"She has been informed and said to wish you luck on you move," George said, grinning. Alessa laughed.

"Well you have almost everything covered then," she said, smiling up at him.

"Almost?" George said, frowning in concern and crossing his arms. "What did I miss?"

"Let's get married," Alessa said, her heart skipping a beat from nerves. She had been thinking about it for a long time now, and she thought now was the right time to bring it up.

"Okay," George said after less than a second of thought.

"Okay?" She repeated, the smile returning to her face.

"You only forgot one thing," he repeated her words, then pulled a little box out of his pocket. "You need a ring."

Alessa laughed, hugging him again. He took the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger and she held it up to look at it.

"It's beautiful," she said, smiling.

"I've had it for weeks. I was just waiting for the right time," he said, smiling down at her as she hugged him again. "You beat me to it though." She laughed against his chest, then pulled back, smirking.

"We should get married before Blaise and Katie," she said, laughing. Blaise had proposed to Katie a month ago and had talked nonstop about their wedding plans ever since. Every time they all got to gather for lunch, Blaise needled Alessa about 'finally settling down since she wasn't getting any younger'. Even Ron and Hermione had gotten engaged right after Christmas last year, though they were taking their time with the arrangements.

"Definitely," George said, laughing. "And let's not invite him."

"We have to," Alessa laughed. "He's the only family I have."

"Not anymore," George said, pulling her in for a kiss. They broke the kiss after a few moments and Alessa hugged herself to his chest tightly.

"Not anymore," she agreed, smiling softly.

The year suddenly looked much brighter to Alessa, now that she knew she would get to spend it with George.

* * *

THE END!

Hey everyone! Thank you for reading. Please leave a review if you liked it.

I have started a sequel to this story called Known, which you can find under my 'Stories' list, so please go check it out if you liked this one.


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